Sorority Boys
by YouAndMe4ever
Summary: Van Fanel is the president of the White Dragon Fraternity, at the prestigious Central University of Fanelia. Along with his two friends, Allen and Dilandau, they're the most popular guys on campus. But when somebody steals the money for their graduation and blames them for it, they seek refuge, disguised as women, in the Mystic Moon Sorority. Rated M for adult themes and scenes.
1. Van, The President

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it. **

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Please, be gentle. **

**Sorority Boys**

**Chapter One: Van, The President**

Van woke up when he heard the distinctive chant of his fellow mates, out in the hall. He rolled his eyes, annoyed, feeling like the walls would crumble down in any moment, given the loud scandal of cheers and shouts outside his room. Then, he heard the familiar chant of "Walk Of Shame", sung by several voices, beyond amused.

He stood up from his bed, shaking his head. Why did they have to do that? Why did they have to wait outside, in the hall, for some innocent girl to come out and expose her like that? That Saturday morning was probably one of the worst days of that girl's life. She had probably had too much to drink last night and hooked up with some of his Fraternity's mates, completely oblivious of the fact that she would be humiliated the next morning.

Damn it, how he hated being a part of this.

He entered the bathroom and looked at his reflection on the mirror. He ran a hand through his wild ebony hair, that hopelessly fell forward on his forehead. He shook his head again, letting his wild bangs fell on the top of his eyebrows, while he opened the shower curtain and stepped inside. The warmth of the water falling down his body made him feel less concerned. As every time that he was alone, his mind got lost in thoughts and questions that he couldn't keep out: Why was he here?

At 22 years old, Van Slanzar de Fanel was a Senior at the Central University of Fanelia. No, the name was no coincidence: His father was the Dean of the University, as his father before him, and his father before him…and so forth. Van was also the President of the White Dragon Fraternity, as his brother Folken was before him, and his father, and his grandfather, and whoever else came before any of them. He was the last of a long line of men that study and grew up in this campus, in hopes of becoming powerful and important men one day.

What a bunch of crap, he thought, stepping out of the shower.

He understood that education and tradition were an important part of his life, but _why_ did he have to live his life by the rules of someone else? Why did he have to be part of this Fraternity, that far from being a place to establish ties and bonds between its members, was just a stage to humiliate and torture innocent people?

Suddenly, when he went back to his room, he remembered why he was still there: Comfortably lying on his bed was a young man, about his height, with short silver hair and bright ruby eyes. He was smiling widely, looking at him with a mischievous expression on his face. On the other side of the room, sitting on his desk was a tall young man, with long blonde hair and huge blue eyes. He seemed very focused reading something, and when Van found out what it was, he quickly ran to him and snatched the notebook from his hand.

"Hey, give that back!" – the blonde man shouted, while the other started laughing out loud – "I was totally in the zone reading your diary"

"You idiot!" – Van said, blushing – "It's not a diary, it's a _journal_ and you had no business reading it! Seriously, Allen Schezar, don't you have something else to do this morning?"

"Hang out with my two best friends?" – guessed Allen, shrugging.

"No, you should be in the library, studying for your calculus exam next week. You're this close – he raised his hand, with his thumb and index fingers almost touching each other – to fail…_again_. At this rate, you'll never graduate this year"

"Oh, c'mon, Van!" – said the other guy, rolling his eyes dramatically – "Don't be such an ass, it's ten in the morning! _And_ it's Saturday!"

"And you, Dilandau" – Van said, turning around to face the other man in the room. He then pointed with his thumb to the closed door – "Care to tell me what that hideous scandal was about?" -

"The Walk of Shame?" – he asked, lifting his eyebrows – "I don't know, wasn't me. I think it was Gatti, who sneaked a girl in here last night after the party. And now that you mention it…" – he crossed his legs on top of the bed – "Why didn't you go last night? It was a great party, all the girls from the Asturia Campus were there. Actually, I hooked up with this _amazing_ brunette, she had two _huge-"_

"I had to study" – Van cut in, shaking his head, disgusted.

"Study or do some writing…about _her?_" – Allen asked, a smile forming on his lips.

Van blushed furiously and did the only reasonable thing: He turned to Allen and punched him softly on the shoulder, while his blonde friend yelped dramatically and started laughing out loud again.

"Seriously, Van" – Dilandau said, rolling his eyes – "Not only you have a hopeless crush on the most annoying and insufferable _know it all_ of the entire University, but you also don't have the balls to ask her out"

"She is not-"

"Oh, yes, she is" – Allen cut in – "But I'm severely touched by the way you describe her in your diary, so I'll let go of the fact that she's just as Dilandau said"

"IT IS _NOT_ A DIARY!" – Van let out a sigh and shook his head – "And besides, she's someone else's girlfriend, so-"

"Oh, yeah, she's dating that prick" – Dilandau rolled his eyes again – "What was his name again, Al?"

"Amano" – Allen said, frowning – "Hate that guy."

"Anyway" – said Van, rolling his eyes – "Will you two go back to your rooms and let me put some clothes on? I'm going to the library to-"

"Stalk her" – completed Dilandau, smiling widely.

"I'm not! Don't even know if she'll be there anyway, so…what the hell, I don't have to explain myself to you guys! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Dilandau rolled his eyes again, while he jumped off the bed swiftly. Allen let out a sigh, shaking his head. He was about to leave, but suddenly, he turned around and put a hand on Van's shoulder. He frowned, suddenly a serious expression on his face. Van raised an eyebrow quizzically, wondering what was inside his friend's mind.

"You should ask her out, Van" – Allen said, in a low voice – "That son of a bitch will break her heart in no time"

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, at the party, I saw him hooking up with some girl I didn't know" – he explained – "But I'm pretty sure it wasn't _her_"

"He cheated on her?" – asked Van, anger flourishing inside of his chest – "Why would he do that to her? She's brilliant, beautiful, nice, caring and-"

"Looks like someone has something a little deeper than just a crush for her" – Allen walked to the door and he was about to go outside when he suddenly turned around again – "Grow a pair and ask her out, ok?"

Van scratched the back of his head, when Allen shut the door.

Will he ask her out someday?

Should he?

He shook his head again, trying to block the images that instantly came to his mind. He remembered the first time he had ever noticed her. It had been during his freshman year. That day, she had dropped a pencil from the top of her desk. He quickly bent down to pick it up, and so did she. For a brief moment, the back of his hand brushed against the smooth skin of her fingers. He remembered the shivers that went down his spine when he touched her. She had muttered a soft '_thank you'_ to him, and that was it.

He knew, in that moment, that that girl would turn his entire world upside down.

* * *

Hitomi let out a soft sigh, closing her notebook. She picked up her cell phone, again, to check her messages.

Nothing.

Nothing since last night.

It had been a terrible fight. He had, again, tried to push her to do something that she didn't feel ready for just yet. Sure thing they had been dating for three months now, they knew and trusted each other, but…intimacy, for her, was another issue. She had tried to remember, last night, that Amano was her boyfriend, that he loved and cared for her, but…she just couldn't do _it_. She couldn't take her clothes off, she couldn't stand the way he seemed to be

She opened her notebook again, while she grabbed the book that was next to her, resting on the chair. As always, Saturday mornings in the library were pretty quiet. She smiled, secretly enjoying the lack of sounds around her, while she proceeded to dive into the pages of the book. She pushed up the bridge of her glasses, in order to focus better on the reading. She felt a sudden rush of excitement when she started reading about her favorite topic: Feminist and Gender Studies. It was, by far, her favorite class.

She was one of those girls that wanted to change the world, for her, and for those around her. With that in mind, she had enrolled in the prestigious Central University of Fanelia, in order to get a degree in Gender Equality. However, college wasn't the experience she had thought it would be. She had found out, rather harshly, that this school was filled with students, especially males, that treated women like shit.

Like him.

She frowned when she heard the sound of a chair being pulled back in the desk in front of her. She furrowed even more when she noticed who was sitting down, facing his back to her.

Van Slanzar de Fanel, the President of the wretched and hideous White Dragon Fraternity. The son of the University's dean, and therefore completely untouchable. Tall, with a skin slightly dark and athlete complexion. And he had big mahogany eyes that all those stupid girls swoon for. He was a known heartthrob, and of course, she hated him.

Why did he always have to be in the library when she wanted to be alone in there? It was her sacred space, and he was trespassing. Sure thing his father owned the damn University, but…why did he always have to pick the desk nearer to hers? Why couldn't he study somewhere else, farther away from her? And to think that they were classmates in the Feminist and Gender Equality Studies class! The nerve of that guy…he and his _mates_, Dilandau Albatou and Allen Schezar, were the very description of men who objectify women! Surely he had taken that specific class just to pick up oblivious girls, who would fall to their knees only to be near his presence. Damn him. Damn all of them.

"Hitomi!"

The girl jumped a little when he heard the voice of her friend. She turned around quickly, to face the two girls that had just walked in. One of them was tall, with long and wavy blonde girl, and big purple eyes. She looked quite lovely in that summer dress, which enhanced her natural beauty. The other one was a little shorter, wearing a tracksuit and a pair of sneakers. She had shoulder-length red hair and big brown eyes. They were both looking at her with excited expression on their faces.

"Hey, you guys" – said Hitomi, lowering her voice. They were at the library, for God's sake – "What's up?"

"You won't believe how many applicants we have this year!" – said the blonde girl – "We just rounded them up, and we have ten girls for the Sorority meeting tomorrow night!"

Hitomi frowned when she heard a soft chuckle, coming from the desk in front of her. Oh, but of course…him being the President of the most famous Fraternity on campus, surely thought that only ten applicants was a joke. Everyone knew that their try-outs for the Fraternity were filled with hundreds of guys every year, all of them eager to become one of _them_. However, even if there was only one girl willing to become a sister in their Sorority, she would have felt equally proud.

"That's great!" – whispered Hitomi, smiling – "Do you know any of them, Millerna?"

"No, but I read all of their profiles online" – said the blonde – "And Yukari here helped me sorting them out"

"Yeah, all of them seemed to be very interested in Gender Equality, Sustainable Energy Projects and Academic Research. This years' gonna be awesome!"

"You, uh…" – Millerna began, biting her lower lip – "Any news from Amano?"

Hitomi noticed the way that Van straightened his back at the sound of that name. She raised an eyebrow, confused, but then turned to Millerna.

"I haven't talked to him since last night" – she explained, lowering her voice even more – "Have you guys heard anything?"

"Yeah, uhm…Hitomi…I heard from Lisa that…well, he went to the Asturia Campus' party last night" – Yukari suddenly raised her hand and brush her fingers across Hitomi's face – "She says she saw him with…a girl"

Hitomi widened her green eyes and immediately straightened her back. She shook her head, refusing to let those angry tears fall from her eyes. Of course he had gone to that stupid party. Every single time they had had a fight over their lack of intimacy, he had gone somewhere he knew she would never go. However, she desperately wanted to believe that he hadn't cheated on her.

"Babe, you should break up with him" – said Millerna, kneeling next to her desk and looking at her with pity inside her bright eyes – "He's an idiot that doesn't appreciate you. Any guy would be lucky to have you by his side, and he just doesn't see it!"

"How about a movie in the dorms tonight?" – Yukari proposed, clapping quietly – "We can watch that old film you wanted to see the other day, Tomi! What do you say?"

"Yeah…sounds great" – Hitomi said, smiling softly – "See you guys later, I gotta' finish the essay for Monday's class"

Her two friends gave hug a quick hug from behind and placed tender kisses on the top of her hair. Hitomi sighed tiredly, while she checked her phone one more time.

Absolutely nothing.

Had he cheated on her? Was this her fault? Just because she said that she didn't want to do it yet didn't mean that she wouldn't want it someday. She buried her face in her hands, feeling how several furious tears rolled down her cheeks. She had thought he'd be different.

Different from other guys. Different from other men that only played with women's feelings. Different from guys like, for instance, Van Slanzar de Fanel.

She uncovered her face, realizing that he wasn't there anymore. Where had he gone to? And who cared, anyway?

She stood up from her chair and walked to the bookshelf on the other side of the library. She browsed through the titles, trying to calm herself down in the process. She was still crying softly, and her hands were shaking. However, while she was picking up a book from the top shelf, she suddenly felt someone else's presence. She quickly turned around, and there he was. She quickly whipped the tears off of her face, while she held the book tightly against her chest.

He had a serious look on his face. And then, the unexpected happened.

Hitomi frowned when his hand reached down to his trouser's pocket and took out a small handkerchief. He slowly placed it on the top of the book she was holding, without looking at her face. She couldn't see his eyes through the bangs of his dark hair, but she noticed the way his cheeks were flushing.

"You deserve better"

His voice was lower than a whisper.

"What did you say?" – Hitomi asked, surprised. She straightened her back when he suddenly lifted his head, shaking it slightly.

"Nothing" – he said, turning around quickly – "Sorry"

And a moment later, he was gone. She saw him collect his things from the desk quickly, and then burst out of the library.

Hitomi raised an eyebrow, confused, and then looked down at the book. She took the handkerchief and softly caressed it with her fingers.

What a weird guy.

* * *

Van slapped his forehead, again, once he had entered his room. He leaned against the door, letting his books fall to the floor. Damn it, he was such an idiot. He had the perfect opportunity to talk to her, but of course, he had to open that stupid mouth of his.

"_You deserve better"_ – he repeated out loud, mocking his own voice – "What a great pick up line, Van. Hope you're ready to be single for the rest of your miserable life"

He fell on the top of the untidy bed, and covered his face with his hands. He remembered the way her beautiful green eyes were filled with sadness and betrayal, and suddenly felt his chest tightening. How could that son a bitch cheat on someone like her? Didn't he know that he had the honor to be with the most brilliant girl of the entire University? Didn't he know how lucky he was for being with the most talented woman ever? Didn't he see how beautiful she was? How caring, passionate about her studies and yet incredibly nice she was? He resented the comments of his friends, about her being a know it all. She wasn't like that, at all: She was extremely smart and disciplined, but not once he had heard her being a snob or a know it all. Actually, he had seen her multiple times helping less advanced students, just because she was nice.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his dorm door bursting open. With bewildered looks on their faces, were Allen and Dilandau. They both seemed out of air, like that they had just been running a long distance.

"What's wrong?" – asked Van, sitting on the bed quickly

"WHAT'S WRONG?" – yelled Dilandau, shutting the door with a kick. He then turned around to face Van and threw a paper on his lap – "HAVEN'T YOU HEARD YET?"

"Heard what?" – asked Van, lifting the piece of paper and started reading it. He felt how his heart went straight down to his stomach.

"Somebody stole the money for the Graduation Party!" – Allen yelled, pacing around the room – "And they're blaming _us _for it!"

"Hold up, hold up!" – said Van, raising from the bed as he continued reading the paper – "This can't be happening, the money it's in the safe in Dilandau's room"

"Yeah, and I'm Cinderella, you idiot!" – Dilandau said, through his gritted teeth – "Of course the money was on the safe, but somebody stole it!"

"When?"

"I don't know! Last time I checked, it was there! Last week, it was there, I swear!"

"Did you let in someone into your room?" – Van asked, but immediately shook his head to rephrase the question. Of course Dilandau had let _many_ people in, especially girls, into his room – "Did someone who knew the combination to the safe get into your room?"

"Everybody knows the fucking combination, Van!" – said Dilandau, slapping his forehead – "It could have been anyone from the Fraternity, but they're blaming us! You, as the President, Allen as the Vice-President and _me_ as the keeper of the funds!"

"Van, they're kicking us out of the Fraternity!" – Allen said – "Dryden held a meeting this morning with the rest of the brothers and they will decide about our expulsion within two weeks!"

"Shit!" – said Van, rubbing the back of his head. If his father were to found out about this, it would be horrible. He pictured the endless lectures about how he had disappointed him in every possible way, how he had ruined his future as a member of the University, how his chances to go to Law School would be significantly diminished by a robbery scandal like this…However, he still had two weeks. He had to plan something, anything, to find out who had stolen the money and get it back.

"There's something else"

Van looked to Dilandau, who had a strange look on his face. Allen came closer to him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't judge me or start with the thing that I'm a pervert or something, but…" – he started, raising his hand in front of him – "I think I know a way to find out who stole the money. I have a camera, hidden between the shelves of my closet, pointing to my bed-"

"Oh, my GOD, Dilandau-" – started Van, slapping his forehead. However, something he had just said made him snap his fingers quickly – "Your bed's next to the safe!"

"Exactly!" – he said, raising his thumbs – "The only fucking problem it's that someone stole the recording, too"

"Then…" – Allen said, frowning – "Whoever stole the money, knew that you're a freak who likes to film himself while having sex"

"No, you jackass! It means that I filmed whoever stole the money! If we find the recording, we'll be able to pinpoint the thief, you get it?!"

"What makes you think he hasn't destroyed it yet?" – asked Van, frowning. However, the look on the faces of his friends made him realize that, at least, they had to try – "Okay, guys, we're gonna get through this somehow. We'll find out who stole the money by getting that recording, and hopefully, no one's going to find out about the possibility of us getting expelled from the Fraternity"

"How do we do that?" – Dilandau asked, shaking his head – "Let's assume that one of the brothers has the recording. We have to sneak into his room, steal the damn thing and-"

"Guys…" – Allen cut in. He was in front of Van's desk, holding a piece of paper. Van immediately recognized it: It was the pamphlet he had taken from the library that very same day, promoting the try-outs for the Mystic Moon Sorority. Hitomi's Sorority, he remembered.

Allen turned around, holding the paper in front of him, with both hands. Van and Dilandau lifted their eyebrows, quizzically.

"I have a plan"

TBC…


	2. Vanessa, Delilah and Allison

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Please, be gentle. **

**Sorority Boys**

**Chapter Two: Vanessa, Delilah and Allison**

"You have GOT to be SHITTING me!"

Dilandau was in the middle of the deparment store, holding his hands in front of him, with a disgusted look on his face. He shot a bewildered look to Van, who was standing next to him, equally shocked.

"He's kidding" – said Dilandau, shaking his head to then look at his friend beside him– "He's totally kidding, right? Van? Please? Tell me he's kidding? Please?"

"Allen" – Van said, while his blonde friend browsed through the racks, in the women's clothes aisle of the store – "You're not serious, right? Is this one of your jokes, because-"

"Guys, I'm totally serious" – said Allen, picking up a long sleeved yellow dress, whirling it a little bit – "I'm telling you, this plan is the only one that might actually work"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" – Dilandau shouted – "IS THIS YOUR BIG PLAN? TO DISGUISE OURSELVES LIKE FUCKING DRAG QUEENS AND SNEAK INTO THE FRAT PARTY TOMORROW NIGHT?"

Van covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated sigh. Goddamn it, this couldn't be happening. He had actually felt relieved when Allen said that he'd come up with a plan to get back the damn recording on Sunday, but…this was ridiculous.

"Just hear me out" – Allen said, picking up another dress from the rack – "There's no possible way we can go into any of the brother's rooms for the next two weeks. Dryden already said that we're just allowed to go in to sleep and shower, if that. So…we need to go into the Frat's house undercover"

"This is the fucking opposite of _undercover_, you moron!" – said Dilandau, holding a horrible pink dress, with sparkles all over it, and waved it in front of Allen's face – "There's no way we can pull this out! Even if I were to agree to this bullshit, which I'm totally NOT, I'm pretty sure they'll recognize us!"

"Allen, even though I appreciate your…_inventive_" – Van said, air quoting the last word – "Dilandau's right. Even if some of the brothers are rather stupid, they're not THAT dumb. They'll see right through it"

"No, they won't!" – Allen said, turning around. He picked up a white dress, with a flower print on it and then put it under Dilandau's chin. He tilted his blonde head a little to the right, and smiled widely – "This color really works on you, Delilah"

"WHAT-THE-FU-"

"Dilandau, stop for a moment" – Van interrupted, raising his hands. He turned to Allen, who was still laughing under his breath – "Allen, I can't even begin to tell you how important this is or how deep it's the shit we're in right now. So, please, can we think about some other way to get the freaking recording? Because even if we put on dresses and high heels, there's NO possible way we can do this without risking being EXPELLED from the Frat, or embarrass ourselves to the point that we'd better commit suicide".

"Have a little faith, brother" – Allen said, raising his eyebrows and smiling widely again – "I'm telling you: We can do this"

"How? Why?"

"Because I know just the right person who I know would love to help us"

* * *

For the fifteenth time over those two short days, Dilandau muttered, under his breath:

"You have got to be shitting me, Allen"

The three young men were awkwardly sitting on the floor, with their legs crossed. Van looked around the room, noticing the bright pink that colored the walls, along with the sparkling flowers and butterflies that decorated the corners. He let another frustrated sigh, while he shook his head. He turned around again to look at the young girl, sitting in front of them, behind a white desk. Her light hair had grown a little bit since the last time he'd seen her, but he noticed that her big blue eyes still looked the same. She was frowning slightly, while she wiggled her legs under the desk.

"Why am I looking at you?" – the girl said, her narrowed eyes fixed on Allen's face.

"Whoa, honey, I thought you'd be happy to see me!" – said the blonde young man, chuckling – "I'm hardly home these days and-"

"The only time you come to see me, it's when you need something from me" – she said, a hint of a smile forming on her lips – "What is it this time? Pregnancy test? Aloe vera cream for your penis rash? Another ride to the clinic?"

"Celena!" – exclaimed Allen, a shocked expression on his face. He quickly turned around to look at his two friends, who had disgusted looks on their faces. Allen raised a hand and waved them off, chuckling again – "She's just kidding, guys. No, honey" – he said, turning around again to face her – "We need your…abilities"

"Abilities?"

"We need your help and experience on…dress up" – Allen said, swallowing hard – "We need you to transform us into women"

"Just for one night, no questions asked"– said Van. However, when he saw the angry look that Celena shot him, he quickly added – "Please".

"If I agree…" – Celena began, suppressing the urge to laugh – "I want something in return"

"Name it, my dear sister, and you shall have it" – Allen said, bowing deeply.

"I want to go on a date"

"WHAT?!"- Allen shrieked – "A date?! With whom?"

"Him" – She slightly pointed a finger towards them.

This was maybe one of the worse days in Dilandau's life.

That was for sure.

"ME?!" – the silver haired young man shouted – "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME?! No, scratch that, stupid question. Of course that any woman would love to take me on a date, but-"

"Celena, my dearest sibling, you got yourself a deal" – Allen said, extending his hand towards hers.

"WAIT, WHAT?! OH, NO, NO, N-O!" – Dilandau shook his head vigorously – "Allen, man, what the fu-"

"Language, brother" – Allen said, sighing dramatically and rolling his eyes – "You're taking my little sister on a date on her earliest convenience, and that's final"

"SHE'S SIXTEEN, FOR GOD'S SAKES!"

"You have taken younger girls on dates before"

"Yeah, but when I was like FUCKING _EIGHTEEN_ and they were SIXTEEN! This would be BARELY LEGAL!"

"I trust you, brother"

"AND I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"Sister" – Allen said, suppressing a loud laughter that threatened to come out of his chest. He got up from the floor, along with his two friends, and pointed at the closet on the other side of the room – "If you please"

Celena stood up from her chair and clapped loudly, with a big smile on her face. She quickly walked towards the closet, but suddenly, she stopped next to Dilandau. She got on her tip-toes and gave him a soft peck on his cheek.

This was most definitely the WORST day in Dilandau's life.

* * *

"Okay, here's the plan" – Allen said, turning around to face his two friends – "We go in, we look around for a little while and then Dilandau will go upstairs to search inside the brother's rooms."

"You mean _Delilah"_ – Van said, snorting a laugh.

Allen chuckled softly and then let out a yelp of pain when Dilandau punched him on the shoulder.

Dilandau huffed loudly, looking up and down the bodies of his two friends: He just couldn't believe it. They were actually trying to pull out this bullshit.

Allen, a.k.a., _Allison_, was standing in the middle of the three of them, wearing a green shirt-dress, picked up by himself in the department store. His long blonde hair was tied up in a long braid, decorated at the end with a sparkling bow. Van, on the other hand, was wearing another shirt-dress, bright read, with a denim jacket over it. He was also wearing a wig that reached his shoulders, of a light brown color and broad waves. He looked down to check his own appearance, and sighed: A mini skirt, silvery, and a blue tank top, along with a dark denim jacket. He had stumbled several times on his way there on the high heels boots that Celena had pushed into his feet, along with his friends, that had never worn footwear like that.

Oh, and shaving his legs wasn't at all pleasant. And neither was it the stuffing up of the bra he was wearing, with socks and cotton. Oh, and did he mention that his face was barely recognizable as a man's right now? He was wearing A LOT of makeup, fake eyelashes and jewelry.

"We look like drag queens, but the dangerous kind" – Dilandau said, frowning – "If I saw us walking down the street, I'd run away in a heartbeat"

"Relax, you look beautiful, Delilah" – said Allen, shrugging – "I'd totally have sex with you"

"Say that shit one more time, and I _swear_-"

"Guys, enough already" – Van cut in, straightening his jacket and combing his fake hair with his hands. His face was also covered with makeup and fake eyelashes. Of the three, he was the most convincing. Dilandau raised an eyebrow, taking another look at his friend. – "Let's get this shit over with".

They walked into the party as if they owned the place. Several of the brothers looked at them with strange and disgusted expressions on their faces. Dilandau stumbled again, but quickly recovered. Van looked around, looking for Dryden or any of the members of the Frat's Council. If they wanted this plan to work, they couldn't be seen by any of them. He noticed the way the brothers of the Frat looked up and down his body, and suddenly, he felt the urge to cover himself with a blanket. Damn it, have they always been such perverts? Was this the way women felt when they walked into places like this one? A disgusting shiver went down his spine when one of them, looking straight at him, licked his lips and gave him a short nod, after taking a look at his exposed legs. He shook his head, beyond annoyed and scared, and quickly nodded towards Dilandau. He understood the message quickly, but when he turned around to go upstairs, someone was blocking his way.

_Great_, thought Allen: Not only they were dressed like women, but now, they were in front of the biggest jackass of the entire Fraternity. Gaddeth, also a senior, was standing in front of Dilandau, with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. He slowly took a sip of his beer, and made a little gesture towards someone standing on the other side of the room.

"Did you _dog girls_ get lost on the way home?" – he asked, looking up and down Dilandau's figure.

_Damn it_, Van said to himself. Gaddeth was the biggest imbecile he had ever met, always finding new ways to torture people. He had no clue of why he had been accepted on the Fraternity in the first place, considering that he had used his veto as president. He was Dryden's sidekick, always following him around like a freaking pet. He had called them "dog girls", an insult the brothers typically used to address girls that weren't that pretty, according to their awful standards of beauty. Even when he wanted to punch him right on his stupid face, he noticed that, at least, he had called them "girls". He hadn't noticed _yet_, that he was actually standing in front of _them._

"N-No…" – Van suppressed a smile when he heard Dilandau's pitching tone, pretending to be a woman – "We were just…looking around"

"Oh…" – said Gaddeth, taking another sip slowly – "Too bad for you, _dog girls_…cause' we're about to go…_fishing"_.

Allen felt how a shiver took over his entire body.

"Fishing" was another of the horrible traditions of the Fraternity, and apparently, they were tonight's target. Before any of them could do anything about it, they ducked down when a huge fishnet fell on top of their heads. Dilandau shrieked loudly when he felt how his feet got off the floor, after being lifted by the legs by one of the brothers. Van tried unsuccessfully to punch the guy that had just lifted him up, but before he knew it, his head crashed against Allen's, who had been lifted up from the floor next to him. He tried to focus through the piercing pain he felt inside of his head, but it was completely useless.

Kicking and screaming quite pathetically, the three _dog girls _were taken through the door, by six drunken brothers of the Fraternity.

Gaddeth took the last sip of his beer, while he looked at the scene with a smile.

* * *

"THOSE IDIOTS!"

Hitomi jumped a little when she heard Millerna's furious shout. She turned to the side from her relaxed position on the couch that was in the middle of the living room, and noticed that her friend was looking through the window, with an angry expression on her face. Yukari came through the kitchen door, and moved towards the window as well.

"What's wrong?" – Hitomi asked, getting up from the couch after dropping the book she was reading on top of it. She moved closer to the window and, suddenly, anger started running through her veins. She saw six of those stupid Frat boys stumbling towards their door, holding awkwardly the bodies of three tall girls, who helplessly tried to get rid of them – "Oh, no, they will not!"

Hitomi ran to the door, followed by her two friends, just in time to see them drop their heavy load on their doorstep. One of the guys straightened up clearly drunk, and looked at them with a lopsided smile.

"I think those three _dogs girls _belong to you!" – he said – "Pretty sure they are ugly enough to be members of your Sorority!"

"Come here, you son a b-" – Hitomi began, lifting up the baseball bat she had taken from the closet next to the front door. She huffed when the six boys let out mocked screams of terror and ran away. She then moved closer to the girls lying on the pavement and started to pull away the fishnet that covered them – "Oh, my God, are you girls okay? Did they hurt you?"

Van's heart sank down to his stomach when he recognized that concerned and sweet voice. He straightened his wig before starting to get up, running his hands down his clothes, in order to pull them down enough.

Shit, this couldn't be happening. Not only their idiotic plan hadn't worked AT ALL, but now, he was in front of the girl he had had crush on since forever…dressed like a woman. Would she recognize him trough the makeup and fake eyelashes? What could he possibly say if she did? Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!

The three boys stood up slowly from the ground, with nervous looks on their faces. Hitomi felt a rush of compassion and pity for those girls standing in front of her. They were…_big_, and for that, of course, they had been humiliated by those idiots. Surely they had gone to one of their parties, and got picked on and bullied by a bunch of dickheads that didn't appreciate women at all.

"Come inside, please" – Millerna said, with a warm smile on her face, gesturing to the doorway – "It's late and you shouldn't be walking on the streets by yourselves"

"It's…" – Van swallowed hard when he heard his manly voice. Hitomi looked at him, confused, and he immediately felt his cheeks flushing. Allen elbowed him slightly and he moved a step to the side. Embarrassed beyond words, Van closed his eyes and, imitating Dilandau's tone, he answered – "It's…okay"

"No, it's not okay!" – Yukari said, with a sad look on her face – "They shouldn't have done that to you! Damn it, I hate those Frat boys, they're nothing but a bunch of assholes that enjoy making people suffer!" – she then took a step forward and held out her hand – "I'm Yukari Uchida, by the way. And this is Hitomi Kanzaki and Millerna Aston"

Hesitantly, Dilandau moved forward and took Yukari's hand, shaking it slowly. Allen and Van looked at him, completely puzzled, and slightly shook their heads. What the hell was he doing? They had to get out of there!

"I'm…Delilah" – Dilandau again used that high pitched tone that hardly convinced anyone about his supposedly woman's condition – "Delilah Jones…?" – he gave them a lopsided smile, as if he wasn't sure about his real name.

"Nice to meet you, Delilah!" – Hitomi, exclaimed, with a bright smile. Van again felt his cheeks on fire, when she turned to face him, with a kind expression – "And you guys are…?"

"Allison" – Allen quickly answered, with a perfect feminine tone that made Van and Dilandau turn to him, completely shocked – "Allison Sch…Scheme" – There it was, they were sure that he was going to blow it at some point.

"Well, that's an interesting last name…" – muttered Hitomi, still smiling. Van kept his eyes on her face, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do. He could feel the looks of his friends on his face, so with a sigh, he answered:

"Vanessa…Ford".

"It's so nice to meet all of you!" – Hitomi said – "Please, come in! Are you guys hungry? We were about to make some cheeseburgers!"

"Thank you so much, but-"

"Cheeseburgers sound _so_ nice" – Van twisted his head so fast that his wig almost fell off. Allen was smiling widely, along with Dilandau. WHAT THE HELL? They were dressed like women, they were at Hitomi's Sorority in the middle of the night, and those two jerks were thinking about food?!

"Yay!" – Yukari exclaimed, clapping her hands softly – "Please, come inside!"

The three girls walked inside talking amongst themselves softly, but before Allen and Dilandau could follow them, Van grabbed them by the shoulders and pushed them back so strongly, that both of them tripped on their high heels.

"What the fuck you think you're doing?!" – he hissed, under his breath, a bewildered look on his face – "We can't go in there and have dinner, or whatever, with them!"

"Why?" – asked Dilandau, shrugging – "I'm starving"

"Yeah, and besides, this is your chance, man!" – Allen said – "Didn't you notice that big nice smile on Hitomi's face when she looked at you?"

"That was because she feels sorry for us! She thinks I'm some poor defenseless girl that got bullied by some Frat jerks!"

"Better that than nothing at all?" – Dilandau asked, with his usual look of "_I really couldn't care less about you and your stupid crush"_

"Listen to me, you ass-"

Before Van could finish that last sentence, Hitomi's head popped out from the doorway, a concerned look on her face.

"You guys okay?" – she asked, a soft smile on her lips.

That smile, Van thought, could make him do whatever the hell she wanted.

Dilandau and Allen turned around to face Van, who just let out a frustrated growl. He closed his eyes briefly, and then, gave them a slight nod.

"Just fine!" - Allen exclaimed, walking towards the door with Dilandau by his side – "We were just talking about some…girl's stuff! Cheeseburgers, huh? That sounds _SO _great!"

Van stood where he was for a brief moment, watching his friends go inside the Sorority House.

Damn it.

* * *

"So, this is your room" – said Millerna, opening a large white door on the second floor – "You guys can stay here for as long as you need".

Van swallowed hard when Hitomi smiled sweetly at him, and then took his hand in hers.

Great, this was the first time she had touched him willingly (the slight brushing of his hand with hers when he reached down to pick up the pencil from the floor, four years ago, didn't really count) and she'd done it thinking she was squeezing a girl's hand.

Great, just great, he thought.

"This is the closet" – Yukari said, opening one of the doors. Inside of it were several pieces of clothes, hanging loosely on the rack. On the side of the door, they could see various handbags and shoes, hanging from little pegs – "We keep these clothes in here in case someone needs them…please, feel free to use them, okay?"

Goddamn it, Van thought. They were so incredible nice, completely oblivious of the fact that they were members of the wretched Fraternity that mistreated girls like them on a daily basis. AND, not only the three girls had fed them and tried to cheer them up, but also they had invited them to spend the night. Of course, Allen and Dilandau agreed in a heartbeat, while Van felt how his body sunk into a horrible abyss.

"Well, as you can see, it's a two-body bed" – Hitomi, explained, walking inside the room – "But underneath it, there's another mattress, see?" – she slowly pulled out, literally, another bed from under the other one on top. She got up quickly, still smiling widely – "So…" – she said, walking straight to Van and holding his head between her slender hands. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and smiled softly – "Have a good night, guys! See you tomorrow at breakfast!"

Oh, it was awesome.

Now she had kissed him, something he had dreamt about for over the last four years…again, he repeated inside his mind, thinking she was kissing a woman.

When she closed the door, leaving them alone, he slapped his forehead so hard that he felt the pain all the way to the back of his head.

"I think that counts as second base" – Allen said, holding his thumbs up and smiling sheepishly towards him. Van glared at him furiously, while Dilandau let out a sigh and pulled off his long blonde wig. He jumped to the bed and landed dramatically on top of it.

"Oh, for the love of God, we're so screwed" – Van said, covering his face with his hands – "Not only your damn plan didn't work, we're also stuck in here until tomorrow, thanks to you morons"

"I have an idea…" – Allen began, raising his index finger slowly.

"No, no more of you and your stupid ideas!" – Van hissed, clenching his teeth – "I momentarily had some kind of brain episode today and followed your damn _ideas_, and now look at us! We're Delilah, Allison and…_Vanessa_!" – he involuntarily gagged when he said his alter ego's name out loud– "God, I'm gonna be sick…!"

"Oh, c'mon, man! Relax, it's gonna be okay…" – Allen smiled and patted Van's back softly – "Listen, I swear _this_ plan might actually work"

"If you think I'll do anything that comes out of that stupid brain of yours, you're seriously delusional" – Dilandau warned, glaring at him – "Also, I'm SO NOT taking your little sister on a date"

Allen ignored Dilandau's comment and waved him off. He turned around to face Van and raised his hands in front of his chest.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do: There's no way we can go back to the Frat House for the next few days, especially not dressed like this. So, tomorrow, we'll leave as girls, but we will change our clothes at the gym before class. We have soccer practice on Tuesday so I left a change of clothes in my locker, did you guys did the same?" – when they nodded, he continued – "Okay, so we go to class normally and at night, we come back here as girls again"

"Tell me EXACTLY WHY is that a good plan" – growled Van, trying to control the urge to punch him on the nose.

"If the brothers find out that we're looking for the recording, they'll destroy it. We have to work under the radar. If we leave the Frat for a few days, they'll let down the guard. That way, we can sneak into the house next weekend and look for it again. They'll never see it coming"

"You're an idiot" – Dilandau said, shaking his head – "But somehow, your plan makes _some_ sense. In the meantime, during the week, maybe we can blackmail some of the brothers and find out who stole the money".

"Are you fucking idiots listening to yourselves?" – Van hissed, completely desperate – "We're talking about pretending to be girls for an entire week! Here! In a Sorority! _With Hitomi under the same roof!"_.

Van felt like he was in a nightmare when he watched both of his friends shrugging at the same time.

"Worth the shot" – Allen said, smiling.

TBC…


	3. Woman up, man!

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

**Sorority Boys**

**Chapter Three: Woman up, man!**

Allen opened the door of the closet and let out an excited high pitch shout. He grabbed one of the items hanging loosely on the side of the door and then turned around to face the two young men sitting on the bed.

"Look at this cute little handbag!" – he said, whirling around a red clutch in front of them – "It goes perfect with my shoes!"

Van, for the hundredth time that morning, slapped his forehead with his hand. The three of them had got very early that day, in order to use the bathroom before any of the other girls in the Sorority. They had then sneaked back into their room and tried some of the outfits that were in the closet. Allen was now wearing a purple dress and a light denim jacket, along with a pair of flat black shoes. Van had chosen something similar, but instead of a dress, he was wearing a simple shirt and jeans. He had then put on the same denim jacket he wore the day before for the party, adjusted his wig and put on some makeup. He had tried to imitate Celena's movements, but he wasn't so sure about the result. When he looked at his reflection on the mirror, he thought that maybe, just maybe, no one would find out that he wasn't a woman at all.

Dilandau sighed and got up from the bed, but suddenly, he twisted his ankle in the high heels shoes he had picked to complete his outfit. He was wearing a pencil skirt, white, and a long sleeved red shirt. He let out a frustrated sigh, while he helplessly tried to adjust his wig. Van moved closer to him and helped him with his fake hair, while Dilandau looked at him with a mask of anger.

"Calm the freaking down" – Van said – "You're trying too hard, Dilandau. Remember, we don't have to be babes…just, 'believable'"

"That's easy _for you_ to say!" – Dilandau snapped, frowning – "You're pretty"

"…You think?" – Van couldn't hide the confident smile that came up to his lips – "Thanks, I just kind of threw this together and…" – he looked up and down his outfit, but he swallowed hard when he saw Dilandau's disgusted look. He shook his head quickly and then turned around to face his friends – "Okay, let's go downstairs. Remember, we WILL NOT stay for breakfast, we have to go to the gym and change our clothes before class, got it?"

The two young men nodded swiftly and walked towards the door. However, when they reached the first floor, the sweet smell of pancakes and fresh coffee made Dilandau's and Allen's stomachs growl furiously. Van shot them a desperate look, as if to say, "_For the love of God, please, NOT AGAIN"_. But then, when he saw _her_ coming out of the kitchen, wearing a simple white shirt and dark jeans, his heart stopped from a moment. She gave him a warm smile that made her thick eyeglasses come up a little over her cheeks.

"Good morning!" – Hitomi said – "We just finished preparing breakfast! Please, join us!"

"Thank you, but-"

"Are those cinnamon pancakes?" – Van rolled his eyes when Dilandau and Allen burst inside the kitchen and quickly sat down on the table. Yukari and Millerna were already there, sitting next to each other, with big smiles on their faces.

"Yes!" – Yukari answered, standing up quickly to serve some food over the plates the boys had in front of them – "I just made them!"

"Oh-my-Fod-tish-so-delimcious" – Allen mumbled, his mouth full of food. Millerna giggled softly and quickly pulled back a chair for Van – "Please, Vanessa, come here and eat something!"

"Please?" – Hitomi asked, squeezing his hand a little bit, with a pleading look on her face. Van sighed, completely frustrated and furious at his friends, but the way she was holding his hand made him forget about it momentarily. He nodded slightly and walked towards the chair, while Dilandau and Allen continued swallowing down the pancakes, without a care in the world. Hitomi served him a cup of steaming coffee and then sat down next to him. The warmth that radiated from her body, so close to his, made him shiver. How many times had he wished for something like this? How many times had he spent awake, at night, imagining a scenario where she was sitting next to him like this? He wanted to keep daydreaming about her, but suddenly, something Yukari said made him snap out of thoughts immediately:

"So, Tomi, what did Amano say after you broke up with him?"

Dilandau choked on his food and Allen dropped the spoon he was holding, which landed loudly on the plate. Millerna's hand reached over Dilandau and softly patted him on the back. Hitomi frowned, confused, but then turned around to face Yukari.

"Don't really care about it, actually" – Hitomi said, shrugging – "He said he didn't cheat on me, that everything was just some rumor that got out of hand, but…I really don't care. I'm serious" – She quickly added, when her two friends looked at her with surprised expressions on their faces – "I can't even believe I went out with him this long, you know? He's selfish, self-centered, an egomaniac and…well, you know the rest" – Van, thrilled beyond words, noticed the way she lowered her face a little bit. Was she ashamed? For what? She had done the right thing by dumping Amano's ass, but why did it seem like she was embarrassed?

"Has he called you?"

"Yes, about a hundred times" – Hitomi huffed loudly and shook her head – "As if that would change my mind. It's like he didn't know me at all! God, dating him was such a mistake, I'm such an idiot! How could I be so naive?! It was so obvious that he just wanted to-"

"Stop calling yourself that" – Van snapped, with a hint of anger on his "woman" voice – "You're not an idiot, nor naïve. You just put your faith in someone who didn't deserve it. As I told you that day, you deser—"

"Well, look at the time!" – Dilandau said, jumping off his chair – "We're going to be so late if we don't leave now, isn't that right, guys?"

Van felt a cold shiver running down his spine when he realized that he had almost blew it. Hitomi was looking at him with those big surprised green eyes he often daydreamed about, her mouth slightly open. He quickly got up from the chair, looked at his two friends and straightened his jacket.

"Wait, but…" – Hitomi began, with a sad look on her face – "You will come back tonight, right? We have the mix up with the applicants for the Sorority tonight and since you're only staying in town for a few weeks, maybe you'd like to join us."

"That sounds wonderful!" – Allen exclaimed, giving Hitomi a big smile – "We'll be here by six, okay?"

Hitomi watched the three girls disappear through the kitchen door in such a hurry, that she unconsciously raised an eyebrow. She suddenly remembered when she had gone to the library on Saturday morning and ran into Van by the bookshelves. She shook her head vigorously, while she let out a soft chuckle.

"_You're being ridiculous, Hitomi"_, she thought, "_Vanessa's a girl"_.

* * *

"Way to go, dickhead!" – Dilandau said, smacking Van on the back of the head – "You almost blew our freaking cover"

Van walked faster down the street, trying to focus desperately. Damn it, Dilandau was right. He had _almost_ screwed everything up. But, for God's sakes, he couldn't continue hearing her talk like that anymore, especially not when she was saying such things about herself. She wasn't an idiot, Amano was! And she wasn't naïve, she was trusting! And why shouldn't she trust the man she was with? Amano had cheated on her. He was the goddamned idiot, not her! He suddenly remembered the way she had looked at him, her beautiful eyes widen in shock. He imagined what it would feel like to trail a finger down her cheek. He imagined what it would be like if he took control, for once, over his damn life and ask her out. He imagined what it would be like if he-

"Could you PLEASE come down from the fucking clouds and watch where you're going?!" – Dilandau said, grabbing Van by the collar of his jacket and pushing him backwards – "We're here, you moron"

Van shook his head and turned around, realizing that they were in front of the University's gym. He let out a sigh of relief and walked as fast as he could towards the entrance. He couldn't be happier to be there. He was so anxious and desperate to finally get rid off of those damn clothes and makeup that he almost tripped on his way up. Suddenly, when he reached the top of the stairs, a young man that was staring at his phone looked at him with a smile. He quickly walked towards the gym's door and opened it for him.

"After you, beautiful" – he said, raising both of his eyebrows at Van. Surprised, Van slightly nodded and went through the door.

"Coming through!" – Dilandau said, rushing after his friend. However, after taking a single look at him, the young man let go of the door, which crashed against Dilandau's body with a loud noise. The silver haired boy let out a painful shout and tripped after the door hit him right on the shoulder. He turned around quickly and he was about to yell something to the young man, when Allen swiftly grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him towards the locker room – "I don't fucking get it, I'm as pretty as Van!" – he growled, pouting a little a bit.

"Quit it, Delilah" – Allen said, walking down the hallway.

* * *

Hitomi entered the classroom ten minutes late. She rushed upstairs to sit down on her usual desk, when she suddenly noticed that the class had already started. Every single student in the classroom already had a piece of paper on the top of their desks, surely given by the teacher, and was reading with utmost attention.

Damn it, if she hadn't stopped on her way to class to text Amano to tell him to get lost and leave her alone, she wouldn't have been this late. Let out a sigh of frustration, she sat down on her desk and tried to look over the shoulders of their nearer classmates, in order to read the paper that seemed to be so very important.

She raised her eyebrows, surprised, when a copy of the paper landed softly on her desk. Hitomi quickly turned to the side, and a pair of mahogany eyes met hers. Once again, she noticed the way his cheeks flushed when she looked straight at him and how he tried to hide his eyes under those wild dark bangs.

"Thanks" – Hitomi muttered, holding the paper with her long and slender fingers. She suddenly remembered the way he had came over to her on the library, offering her his handkerchief after watching her cry. And now, noticing that she was late, he had saved aside for her a copy of the paper given by Mr. Lawrence, with the instructions of their next assignment. She realized that she had never talked to him really, and yet, he had had two kind gestures towards her. Without her permission, her eyes wandered over his features and realized that he was actually really handsome. Of course, she had heard many times, by many girls, about Van Slanzar de Fanel's amazing looks, about those eyes that every girl swooned for. However, this time, she thought, it was different: There was something about the way he carried himself that made him extremely attractive. He was sitting on the chair with his back completely straighten, in a regal posture that reminded her of ancient pictures and forgotten fantasy's stories. The contrast created by his dark skin and ebony hair was quite attractive too, along with his athletic complexion.

Mr. Lawrence's voice made her snap out of her thoughts, when he started explaining the reason they were all reading the same piece of paper.

"Your next assignment it's about Wollstonecraft's dilemma" – he said, grabbing a page from the folder that laid flatly on his desk – "You'll write an essay about its implications on Gender Equality's modern policies. I want it to be thorough and sharp, people. I expect nothing less than your very best on this assignment. But, to spice things up a little bit…" – he continued, handing the paper to a student on the front row – "You'll be working in teams of two. Please read the list that's passing through right now and talk with your partner. I want you to deliver me a draft of your essay within two weeks".

Hitomi looked at Van from the corner of her eye when he received the list. His eyes widened in shock and he swallowed hard. He took the list again and handed it over to Hitomi, without looking at her.

Of course, she thought.

Of course that Mr. Lawrence HAD TO choose Van as her partner on the assignment.

Just fan-FREAKING-tastic, she thought.

Passing the list to the student sitting behind her, she noticed the way Van seemed to flinch a little at her sudden movement. Why? Why did he seem so shy and nervous whenever she was around him? He was the Dean's son, his family owned the University, he was the President of the White Dragon's Fraternity and yet…he seemed awkward and uncomfortable when she was near him. She shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. As usual, she immediately tried to take control of the situation: Yes, maybe he owned the freaking place, but this class was her turf. And she wasn't about to let him take that away from her. Maybe, if she asked him bossy enough, he'd let her do the assignment by herself. There was no way she'd risk getting a lower grade because of him. He could go to his stupid soccer practices, Frat parties and dates with younger students, and let her finish the damn thing on her own.

"So…" – she started, reluctantly leaning closer to him – "We're partners"

Van glanced at her, and cleared his throat nervously.

"So it seems…" – Hitomi felt a strange tingle on the back of her neck after hearing his voice. It sounded distractively charming – "Have you read anything written by Mary Wollstonecraft?"

"Have _I_ read anything…?" – The young woman snapped, but she then immediately shut her mouth. He was just asking her a simple question, rather nicely. She blinked several times, confused by the way he was looking at her. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something, but the way he had lifted his eyebrows and widened his big mahogany eyes, was actually…really cute. Feeling her cheeks suddenly warm, Hitomi cleared her throat and picked up a pencil from her desk, only to keep her hands busy – "Yes, I have. You?"

"Yeah, a few things…" – he started, playing with the pen that was in between his fingers – "Just '_Thoughts on the Education of Daughters', 'Original Stories from Real Life', 'Vindication of the Rights of Women'_ and '_Maria: Or the Wrongs of Men…"_ – When he lifted his head and turned to the side to face her, she noticed the way his cheeks flushed furiously – "What?" – he asked, surely puzzled by the way she was looking at him.

"Nothing, it's just that…" – Hitomi shook her head and closed her eyes briefly – "Are you serious?"

"Am I what?"

"Did you really read…? I mean, do you…_really_ like this class? This topic?" – Hitomi felt her cheeks on fire when she saw him frown very slowly. She didn't mean to, but apparently, she had offended him somehow. When he opened his mouth to answer, she quickly cut him off – "I'm sorry, I was just…surprised. I never thought that you'd be a…"

"A…? A…student?" – he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was gonna' say 'nerd', but that's fine too" – She let out a sigh of relief when the corner of his mouth twitched up a little bit. Good, at least he didn't seem offended anymore – "So…about the essay…"

"We should divide the work, between former policies and modern ones" – he quickly said. Hitomi noticed the way his voice seemed more confident and sharp this time – "Establish a contrast maybe, find similarities and differences, using the suggested bibliography. Although I think there's a text written by Flora Tristan about this topic on the library, maybe we should check it out too".

What the hell?!

"Su-Sure…" – Hitomi muttered, completely shocked – "Want to meet after this class to discuss the draft?"

"I can't, I have Social Studies" – he answered, with an apologetic smile – "But…" – The young woman narrowed her eyes when he suddenly became, again, that shy and nervous man she'd seen just a few moments back – "Maybe we can meet for lunch later today" – he added, hiding his eyes behind those thick and dark bangs.

"Yeah, sure" – she quickly answered – "I'll be on the library's garden, is that okay? One pm?"

Hitomi didn't know that she had just agreed to go on her very last date.

* * *

Van rushed down the hallway after his class, completely thrilled and excited.

SHE.

SAID.

YES.

Of course, it was an assignment, they would work as partners and now he was going to have lunch with her just because she wanted to discuss the draft, but still…she had said yes. She could have just asked him to send his ideas through an email or something, but instead, she had agreed to meet with him. And not just that, that morning, thanks to his two hungry friends, he had found out that she had broken up with Amano. That meant that, at least, he still had a shot at this. Maybe during lunch, he could gather up the courage he had lacked of for the last four years and finally ask her out on a proper date.

He stopped briefly by the cafeteria and bought something for them to eat by the garden. He smiled widely when the young waiter handed him the paper bag, and then walked out and headed to the garden.

However, when his eyes found Hitomi's figure standing on the grass, his heart stopped.

She wasn't alone.

"Tomi, just be reasonable!" – Amano yelled, running his hands through his long hair, with a desperate look on his face – "Why would I cheat on you? I love you and respect you, I just went to the party-"

"Everybody saw you with that girl!" – Hitomi shouted, letting her temper flare in the middle of the garden. They were completely alone, so she didn't care if she was making a scene – "Not just Lisa, I heard the same thing from Bella, Elizabeth _and _Georgina! Are you seriously expecting me to believe that all of them are wrong? Go to hell, Amano!"

"What if they are?" – he asked, grabbing her by the wrist and twisting it painfully. Hitomi widened her eyes, shocked by his sudden display of physic contact. Sure thing he was being an idiot right now, but he had never been violent – "What if they just said they saw me with another girl just to break us up?"

"Why would they do that?" – she answered, trying to get away from him. When he squeezed her wrist harder, she let out a yelp of pain – "Amano, let go, you're hurting me!"

"And you are hurting ME!" – he shouted, grabbing her shoulder with his free hand – "You can't break up with me! Girls like _you_ don't break up with guys like _me_! You should be grat-"

"Are you serious?!" – she screamed, clenching her teeth – "Let go of me this instant or-"

"OR WHAT?! WHAT'S A STUPID FRIGID LIKE YOU GONNA DO, HUH?"

Hitomi let out a surprised scream when Amano's body crumbled down and landed like a sack on the ground. She quickly took a step back when Van gently pushed her behind him, and then turned around to face Amano. He stood up as fast as he could, but when he realized who had just punched him, he froze in place. Not only he was standing in front a guy that was a good head taller than him, but…he was the Dean's son. For him to get in trouble, especially considering that his grades hadn't improved over the last few months, would be disastrous. So, he settled with the other available option he had at the moment.

"This isn't over, Hitomi"

"This is SO over" – Van said, calmly – "And threaten her won't make any difference, so get lost right now before I send you back to your dorm in an ambulance"

"Oh, you think that just because your _daddy _owns the damn Univ-"

"No, I'm warning you because I would _really _love to twist you like a fucking balloon animal right now" – Van tried to take a step forward, but he suddenly felt a slender hand on his forearm. He glanced slightly backwards and noticed the way Hitomi was trembling softly. Clenching his teeth, he realized that even when he'd love nothing more than to kick Amano's ass right there, she was extremely nervous. Noticing that she was upset enough he turned around and faced Amano again – "If you so much as breathe at her direction again, I'm really going to do it, though. Now, get lost"

Amano huffed and shook his head, trying not to show how defeated he felt on the inside. With a last look to Hitomi, he narrowed his eyes and turned around swiftly.

Hitomi let out a sigh of relief when Amano disappeared through the door that led back to the library, leaving her completely alone with Van in the small garden. She could feel her erratic heartbeats under her shirt, while her pulse didn't seem to slow down. When Van turned around to look at her, she instinctively grabbed the wrist that Amano had twisted so painfully and started rubbing the flesh there. Her skin, being so light and thin, always bruised quite easily. She didn't notice when Van bent down to pick up something from the paper bag that he had carelessly dropped on the grass.

The young woman flinched slightly when he carefully took her wrist into one of his hands. With the other, he put a cold soda can on top of her bruised skin, applying just enough pressure to make the pain disappear. Hitomi lifted her head and her eyes met his, full of concern.

"Better?" – he asked softly, after a few moments.

"Y-Yes…" – she stuttered – "Yes, thank you…"

She felt a violent shiver running down her back when he lifted one of his hands and placed it softly on her cheek.

"Are you okay?"

Hitomi thought about his question that seemed so simple. However, the answer wasn't that easy at all. She had never thought that she'd ever be grateful towards a man saving her in a moment of need. After all, she was no damsel in distress. Men hadn't saved her, not once, throughout her life. On the contrary, she had always found a way to save herself. But somehow, she was now incredibly glad that Van had shown up the moment he did.

"I am now"

* * *

Dilandau thought that yesterday had been the worst day of his entire life.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

He left the gym of the University, dressed like a woman, about five o'clock. He walked down the street towards the Mystic Moon Sorority.

Simple enough, right?

He had walked down the first block when he noticed a car coming down the street, to then slow down a little bit. Through the car's window, he recognized Gaddeth, who was casually driving by. However, when he recognized Dilandau as the girl they had kicked out of the Frat House the day before, he immediately pulled over a little. Dilandau raised an eyebrow, and before he could do anything, he stumbled backwards after getting a half filled cup of beer right across his chest. His shirt immediately got soaking wet, along with his long blonde wig.

"Have a drink, _dog girl!_" – Dilandau opened his mouth to yell at him, but just a second later, he drove away, laughing at him through the window.

Growling, he straightened his back proudly and continued walking down the street. Just a few blocks later another guy from the Fraternity, a freshman, walked by him. He was looking at his phone, but when he noticed Dilandau's figure, he whistle loudly at him.

"Going to the gym, fat ass?"

Letting out a laugh that made Dilandau's temple flare, the young man ran away quickly when Dilandau turned around to punch him. However, in the attempt of running after him, one of his heels broke, causing him to trip and crash down on the pavement.

Dilandau growled again, angry and frustrated.

Had they always been like this? His brothers from the Frat...and even though it was hard to admit, _him_ had always been such jerks? No wonder every single woman on campus hated them.

Beyond furious, Dilandau walked in the Sorority and shut the door loudly. The sound made Millerna and Yukari jump from their seats, startled. They had been waiting for Hitomi to come back, in order to start preparing the mix up with the applicants that night. Both of them raised their eyebrows when Dilandau stumbled towards them, his shirt completely wet and his hair disheveled.

"Mother's ASS!" – he said, with that high pitched tone he had used that very morning, during breakfast – "Why do you _LET THEM_ TREAT YOU LIKE THIS?!"

"Them?" – Yukari asked, confused.

"Delilah, are you okay?" – Millerna said, concerned.

"Listen to me" – Dilandau said, pointing at them with his index finger – "YOU CAN'T BE A BUNCH OF _PUSSIES_ YOUR WHOLE LIVES!"– Millerna and Yukari flinched at the word "pussies" – "YOU HAVE TO STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES!" "MA-I MEAN…WOMAN UP, MAN!"

Millerna and Yukari, equally puzzled, watched how Dilandau walked towards the stairs, tripping a few times.

"Looks like someone had a bad day…" – commented Yukari, blinking a few times.

When Dilandau opened the door of their room, he noticed that Van and Allen were already there, dressed as their alter egos. Van was standing in front of the mirror, holding a short shirt under his chin. Allen was lying on the bed, casually reading a magazine, while he played with his long braid between his fingers.

"Yo, Al" – Van said, turning around to face his friend on the bed. He held up the shirt a little higher – "What do you think of this, for tomorrow?"

"That is really pretty" – Allen said, nodding softly – "I wish I could fit into a size six, man." – he then lifted the magazine and pointed at the model plastered on its cover. He lightly pointed at the short the girl was wearing and then, at the tank top – "Hey, what do you think of this? You think I'd look good in this? Like a midriff and the thing?"

"No, you need something that accentuates-"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Van and Allen turned around quickly when they heard Dilandau's furious voice. He was shaking and he had a bewildered expression on his face.

"What's your problem?" – asked Van, frowning.

"Oh, what's _my _problem?" – Dilandau said, ironically – "Where do I fucking start?! My bra's rubbing me raw, I have a fat ass and I've twisted my ankle three times today!"

"But...why are you wearing heels?" – Van asked, chuckling and pointing at his feet– "We're in college, no one's wearing heels"

"Heels are out, man. Last year, hello?" – Allen added, matter of factly.

"Dude, they make my legs look slimmer…" – Dilandau pouted. Then, he continued, emphasizing every word – "I. HAVE. A. FAT. ASS."

"No, you don't" – Van said, shaking his head.

"YES, I DO!"

"No, you don't!" – Van repeated, chuckling – "Look, relax, it's going to be okay.

"No, it's not gonna be okay!" – Dilandau walked over the bed and put on of his feet on top of it. Van and Allen gasped after taking a look at his bare leg, now covered with red dots. The skin of his leg seemed painfully inflamed – "Look at this" – he said, pointing down at the red dots.

"That is nasty, dude…" – muttered Allen, gagging loudly – "Jesus Christ, what is it?"

"I don't know…" – Dilandau answered, scared – "But it's itchy and it hurts a lot"

The three young men turned around quickly when Yukari walked into the room. She smiled widely at the three of them, but suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of Dilandau's leg.

"Oh, my God, Delilah! Those are the worst ingrown hairs I've ever seen!" – she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands – "Let me get you some moisturizing cream later, okay?" – She smiled again and continued – "Hey, girls, the mix-up's about to start downstairs, if you want to join us. Also, do you any of guys have an aspirin? I usually get headaches when I'm on my period" – She pouted slightly when the three of them shook their heads negatively – "That's okay, thanks anyway!"

When she left, Dilandau walked towards the door and shut it loudly. A hysterical laughter came out of his chest, while he turned slowly to face his friends. He had a crazy expression on his face, with his jaw painfully clenched.

"Do…?" – he began whispering, walking slowly towards his friends – "Do you have any idea of what this would do to us? Hmmh? We're not supposed to know about makeup, periods or…self-esteem issues!" – He pointed at the door with his thumb, at the spot Yukari had just been, still with a bewildered look on his face – "We're not supposed to _see_ behind the curtain!"

"You look like a crazy person, Dil" – Van warned, raising his hands in front of him – "Chill out already"

"It's like when you're in front of a big, juicy and delicious hamburger!" – Dilandau continued, his hands shaking – "You just wanna eat the freaking thing! You don't wanna see how they slaughtered the _fucking cow_!"

"Okay…" – Allen said slowly, with a nervous smile on his face – "You're losing it, man. How about we go downstairs and eat a hamburger instead? Huh?" – Allen and Van got up slowly and put their arms around Dilandau's trembling shoulders. With sympathetic smiles on their faces, they made him turn around and walk towards the door, while they rubbed his back in the lightest of touches.

"Frat guys really are assholes" – Dilandau said, pouting a little and letting his friends guide him to the door – "They threw a beer at me, they said mean things about my ass…do I really have a fat ass?" – he suddenly asked, turning to the side to look at Van – "Maybe I shouldn't eat any more hamburgers"

"Oh, but you really _really _want one, isn't that right?" – Van said, chuckling. He then raised his hands and gently adjusted Dilandau's wig – "And you don't have a fat ass, Dil. You're super pretty".

"Really?" – Dilandau asked, raising his eyebrows and turning to the other side, to look at Allen – "When you said you'd have sex with me, did you mean it?"

"Of course I meant it, Dil!" – Allen exclaimed, nodding vigorously – "You're smoking hot, girl!"

Dilandau smiled widely and put his arms around his friends' shoulders. He pulled them closer to his body and gave them an uncomfortable hug.

Yeah, fuck those guys.

Delilah was totally hot.

TBC…


	4. A shower and a date

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

**Sorority Boys**

**Chapter Four: A shower and a date**

Dilandau buried his face on the pillow, sulking like a child. He was completely alone in the bedroom, since his two friends were still downstairs, talking to the new members of the Mystic Moon Sorority. They had had a good time during the mix-up, but somehow, he couldn't enjoy it as much as his other two friends.

Was he just like those jerks? Had he mistreated girls, based on their looks? How many times had he made fun of a girl that, according to his standards of beauty, wasn't _that_ pretty? He remembered the countless times that he had called some girl "dog girl", and immediately felt disgusted.

Mostly at himself.

He rolled over the bed slightly when he heard a quiet knocking on the door: There, under the frame, was Yukari.

"Hey, Delilah…" – she said, smiling softly – "I got you some cheesecake and that moisturizing cream for your legs" – she lifted her hands, showing him both items – "Can I come in?"

Dilandau sat on the bed slowly, looking up and down the girl for a moment. He raised an eyebrow, puzzled because of the girl's attitude: She barely knew him…well, _knew Delilah_, and yet, she had been so incredible nice to him over the past few days. He also noticed that she was rather cute, in a nerdy way: She was very thin and her skin was very light, which made a rather interesting contrast against her dark red hair. He nodded slightly and his mouth twitched upward a little bit when she let out a little shout of excitement.

"Here" – she said, handing him the plate. Dilandau took it slowly, taking the fork that she had also brought – "It's gonna sound braggy, but I make the best cheesecake in Fanelia" – Yukari laughed softly when she saw Dilandau take a bite and nod eagerly.

Dilandau flinched involuntarily when he suddenly felt Yukari's warm hands on his leg. Too busy eating the most delicious cheesecake he had ever had, Dilandau didn't notice when the girl applied some cream over the inflamed skin of his legs and started rubbing them gently.

"You should always put some cream over your legs after shaving them" – she explained, while she continued her soft rubbing on Dilandau's leg. The young man lifted his head quickly when he heard her whisper softly, without looking at him – "I heard some guys were very mean to you today".

Dilandau swallowed hard. Damn it, Van and Allen really were pricks sometimes.

"It's quite alright if you don't want to talk about it, Delilah" – Yukari said, smiling at him softly – "But I want you to know that those guys are idiots that couldn't recognize real beauty even if it hit them on the head. You're so very beautiful, Delilah. I mean it"

Dilandau blinked a few times, completely taken aback by her words. Christ, if she only knew that he was one of them. Surely she'd kick his ass in a heartbeat, and he'd deserve it. He had been, over his short four years at the University, a real asshole. And the worst part was that he didn't even remembered when he had become such an idiot. Back in high school, he was a shy and quiet student, but somehow when he got to college and met Van and Allen, everything had changed. He wanted to feel different; he wanted to be someone else. He wanted to be careless as Allen, but smart as Van. However, the result had been quite surprising: He turned into a great student, his grades even competing with Van's, but a selfish and insensitive idiot that used women whenever he felt the need to.

It had all started when he had gone to the freshmen's welcoming. As soon as he walked in through the doors of the main building, he had noticed the way girls looked at him. In high school, his looks had always been the subject of every girl's conversation, but somehow, he had never believed that he was _that_ attractive. But then, when he started hanging out with Allen and Van, girls seemed to be all over him. And he had liked it. However, he had never really meant to be such an idiot, it had just turned out to be that way.

"Thanks…" – he muttered, using his womanly voice again.

"And if you need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you, okay?"

Dilandau raised both of his eyebrows, completely surprised. The girl was sitting on the bed, facing him, with a bright smile on her face. Suddenly, he wondered: When was the last time he had talked to a girl like this? When was the last time he had been in front of a girl, but not trying to hook up with her?

He couldn't even remember.

And why?

Because he'd never had a female friend in his entire life.

Yukari blinked several times when Dilandau, slowly, leaned forward towards her and put a hand over hers.

"You're nice" – he blurted out, his mouth twitching up a little – "Really nice"

* * *

Hitomi frowned when she realized that she was tapping her fingers on the table, a gesture that indicated that she was nervous.

Why was she nervous? She was just waiting for him, in her usual table in the library, to discuss the draft they had to present to Mr. Lawrence within two weeks. She wasn't, at all, nervous, for God's sakes. This was just a _meeting, _between two study partners. It wasn't a date or something like that.

She suddenly remembered the events of the previous day: He had shown up while she was a having a fight with Amano and had somehow managed to shatter her ex's image in just a second. In that moment, she had realized what a real jerk Amano had always been. He was an egomaniac that only cared about what other people thought of him, that's why he had so insistently tried to have her change her mind about their breakup. Van had then been really nice and gentle with her, caring about the bruises on her wrist and, in the process, he'd offered her real comfort.

She shook her head, after realizing that she'd been really unfair with him. Hitomi had judged him based only on what other people had always said about him. Surely the fact that his two best friends were two of the biggest womanizers on campus didn't help, but still…she had judged him without going through the trouble of knowing him.

Hitomi involuntarily smiled when she saw him walking through the door. She immediately regained her composure, fidgeting with his fingers. When he reached the table, she noticed again that blush that never seemed to leave his cheeks whenever she was near him.

"I'm really sorry, I got off soccer practice just a few minutes ago" – he quickly said, sitting down in front of her – "Have you been waiting long?"

"That's alright" – Hitomi cleared her throat when her voice came out higher than she'd intended – "I just finished reviewing some of the texts Mr. Lawrence suggested for the essay".

"Good, I did the same last night" – he said, smiling widely. Hitomi watched him take out several pages from his folder – "I think that maybe we could give this a different approach"

"Oh, do you now?" – she asked, surprised. She then leaned forward a little bit, putting her hands on the top of the table – "Aren't you a nerd, huh…"

Hitomi felt her cheeks on fire when he looked at her, quizzically. She had the last thing with a soft smile, while she lifted the frame of her eyeglasses a little bit upwards. She cleared her throat and shook her head slightly, leaning back once again against the chair.

Damn it, she was completely hopeless when it came to flirt.

Wait, what?

"Anyway…" – Van said, suppressing a smile – "I was thinking about it last night, and I think that maybe focus the essay on just policies isn't enough. Maybe we could write something about how different costumes, policies and traditions have made difficult to obtain gender equality throughout the years."

"Interesting" – Hitomi said, looking at his notes – "Although I think it'd make our work a little harder, considering that throughout the years absolutely _everything_ has widened the barrier between genders. If you think about it…" – she noticed the way he leaned towards her, truly listening to what she was saying. It suddenly made her feel comfortable – "Even now, if you look around, women and men always seem to be trying to distance themselves, establishing boundaries and differences between them. That wouldn't be so terrible if not for the fact that always one gender has tried to be dominate the other…however, now it's possible to see that women have decided to shred that barrier to pieces, including fighting against different cannons, like beauty, careers, market…but at the same time, owning the fact that there are two different genders. It's really amazing what's going on these days…" – Hitomi didn't notice the way Van smiled when she started sort of daydreaming in front of him – "You can actually see that even when women have always been taught to act and do what they were supposed to…they chose to use those very same barriers and cannons to fight their way in…"

"You're right" – Van said, going through the pages of his notebook, ready to write down. However, his mind trailed off for a moment and muttered, almost like a whisper – "_They should never have given us uniforms if they didn't want us to be an army…"_

Van jumped a little on his chair when he heard Hitomi let out a little scream. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, looking over her shoulder to check that no one seemed too bothered by her sudden outburst. Then, she leaned over towards Van and looked at him with her eyes widen in surprise.

"Sorry!" – she quickly apologized with a soft laughter – "It's just that…did you read _The Handmaid's Tale_?!"

"Who hasn't read it?!" –Van exclaimed, leaning even closer towards her – "It's like one of the best novels of the 20th century!"

"I know!" – Hitomi smiled at him widely. Suddenly, feeling a rush that she hadn't felt ever before, she did something she hadn't allowed herself to in a long time: She acted on her instincts – "Hey, on Saturday night, there's a reading in a coffee shop downtown. They'll read the first three chapters of _The Testaments_, you know the-"

"The sequel of '_The Handmaid's Tale"_ \- Van completed, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes! Do you want to go with me?" – she blurted out, completely excited.

Hitomi blinked several times when he saw his face getting redder than ever before. He swallowed very hard, almost painfully and by the way his pen was shaking between his fingers, she realized that he was trembling. She bit her lower lip, nervous, but then a rush of relief took over her when she saw him smile brightly.

"Yes, I'd love to" – he said, his voice unsteady.

"Great! It's a date then!"

With his eyebrows lifted, he looked at her completely shocked. Hitomi let out an imperceptible sigh of frustration.

God was she hopeless when it came to flirt.

* * *

Dilandau sighed, absolutely tired, and stepped into the shower.

Damn it, that day had gone even worse than the day before. He had tried to keep a good attitude about it, but it had been useless. He had been catcalled a hundred times throughout the day, he had tripped several times on his high heels shoes (which he refused to stop wearing, since he knew he looked good in them) and on top of it all, his wig smelled like beer.

He just wanted to take a shower in peace, without being disturbed by anyone.

He should be so lucky.

He was covered in shampoo and soap when he heard someone coming in the bathroom. He immediately froze, since of course he had gone inside the shower as Dilandau, and not as Delilah.

"Hey, Yukari is that you?" – It was Hitomi's voice. Dilandau started shaking wildly when he remembered that his clothes were on the bathroom floor, along with his wig.

"No…it's Delilah…" – Dilandau closed his eyes, silently praying for her to go away.

"Oh, sorry Delilah!" – Hitomi said, laughing softly – "I'm not wearing my glasses, I can't see anything!"

Oh, thank God, he thought, letting out the breath he'd been holding.

"I have to go to the mall later to get Georgina's birthday present" – Hitomi said. Dilandau raised an eyebrow when he heard the distinctive sound of shoes falling on the floor, along with the soft thump of clothes being dropped – "But I went to yoga this afternoon and I'm all sweaty".

Wait, what?

Oh.

Oh, no.

Oh, for the love of God, PLEASE NO.

Dilandau's hand flew to his mouth, covering it with a slap when a very naked Hitomi stepped into the shower with him. She smiled softly and stumbled her way to the running shower, with her hands in front of her, as if she was pretty much blind.

"Don't worry, Delilah, I really can't see anything without my glasses" – Hitomi chuckled loudly, while she ran her hands through her wet hair – "I'm sorry, but I'm very late and I really needed to get this sweat off of me".

Dilandau was almost trying to fuse his body with the bathroom wall, leaning against it almost painfully. His body was completely frozen, while the thick layer of soap and shampoo slowly started to roll off of him. He turned his head away from Hitomi's body, shutting his eyes tightly. His pulse skyrocketed in a heartbeat when Hitomi bent over to pick up the shampoo bottle and the wet skin of her upper body brushed against his leg.

With his eyes still shut, he prayed to Yoda, Khal Drogo, Maverick and pretty much every single badass character he knew for Van to never find out about this.

Again, he should be so lucky.

"Yo, Dil" – Dilandau snapped his eyes open, completely shocked, when Van entered the bathroom without knocking – "You'll never believe what-"

"Delilah…" – Hitomi said, turning around to face Dilandau. Apparently, she hadn't heard Van coming in – "Could you please put some soap over my back? I really can't reach it and I swear I can smell the plastic of my yoga mat on it"

Yoda, Khal Drogo and Maverick, apparently, were too busy to hear his prayer.

Dilandau quickly grabbed the edge of the shower curtain and slide it to the side. There, standing in the middle of the bathroom, was Van, dressed up as Vanessa. His body was frozen in place, his eyes were on fire with fury and his hands were closed into tight fists. Dilandau shot him a bewildered look, gesturing desperately towards Hitomi. He then mouthed, as clearly as he could, while he shook his head negatively:

"_It's not what you think!"_

Van raised his fist and closed his eyes, desperately trying to control the urge to yank Dilandau out of the shower and kick him repeatedly.

"Delilah?" – Hitomi asked, softly.

"Y—Yes?" – Dilandau asked, still looking at Van and shaking his head, completely desperate.

"Could you please wash my back?"

Van pointed at him with a threatening finger and mouthed, without making a single sound:

"_DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"_

Dilandau shut his eyes, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do, when he suddenly felt Hitomi's hands grabbing his. She placed them gently on her back and let out a soft laugh.

"There. Now, can you put some soap on it?"

"..." - Dilandau shut his eyes again.

Fuck you, Khal Drogo.

* * *

When Dilandau opened the bedroom door, Allen had to jump from his bed to grab Van by the shoulders. Dilandau quickly adjusted his wig and raised his hands in front of his chest, with a nervous expression on his face.

"I swear to God that it wasn't my fault!" – He quickly said, his hands shaking – "She came into the bathroom while I was taking a shower and she just…just…stepped into it!"

"Oh, and so you decided to give her a backrub instead of getting out of the freaking shower?!" – Van hissed, through his gritted teeth.

"What was I supposed to do?!" – Dilandau asked, bewildered.

"OH, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE KEEP YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF OF HER?!" – Van yelled, while Allen desperately gestured towards him, silently asking him to keep his voice down – "You're disgusting, Dilandau Albatou!"

"Man, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" – However, he quickly closed his mouth when he saw Van grab some of his books and walk towards the door.

"Also, you're so not sleeping in here tonight!" – Van growled, opening the door – "I can't even look at you, you damn pervert!"

Dilandau let out a frustrated sigh when Van stormed out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, but suddenly, Allen's voice made him snap out of his thoughts.

"So…you saw Van's crush completely naked" – Allen's mouth twitched upwards, while he desperately tried to control the laughter that was trying to come out of his chest – "What was she like?" – Dilandau glared at him furiously, but then…a soft laughter took over his entire body.

"She's really beautiful" – Dilandau admitted, without implying anything weird about it – "Slender but curvy in all the right places"

Dilandau just shook his head, while Allen finally let go and burst out laughing.

* * *

Yukari lifted her eyes from the book she was reading when she heard a soft knocking on the door. She raised her eyebrows quizzically when the girl's head popped in through the frame, with a strange expression on her face.

"Hey, Delilah…" – she muttered, leaving the book on her nightstand – "What's wrong?"

The tall girl took a step forward into the bedroom, with that same sad and nervous look on her face.

"Vanessa and I had a fight…" – she explained, frowning – "She kicked me out of the room"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" – Yukari sat up straighter on her bed. It was almost eleven o'clock and she was already in her pajamas, reading a little before going to sleep – "Do you want to stay here with me tonight?"

"Can I?" – Delilah asked, smiling softly. Yukari chuckled softly and moved to the other side of the bed. Then, she pulled over the covers and patted the spot next to her.

Delilah quickly jumped on the bed next to her, while Yukari laughed softly after taking a look at her eager and content expression. She then turned to the side to grab something from the drawer of her nightstand.

"Do you know what always makes me feel better when I'm nervous or sad?" – Delilah shook her head negatively, while she looked at the object Yukari had taken from the drawer. It was her iPod, with two earplugs already connected to it – "Listening to my favorite song"

She smiled when Delilah took one of the earplugs she was offering her and put it slowly on her left ear. Then, Yukari turned on the device and started looking for the song on the screen. When she found it, she pressed the big button on the middle of the iPod and adjusted the volume.

"I've loved this song since I was in high school" – she chuckled.

"What song is it?"

"Oh, it's _'Check yes, Juliet'_ by We The Kings" – Yukari answered, laughing a little – "I know it has a little of an "American Pie" vibe, but I love it anyway".

Yukari noticed the way Delilah had nodded a little bit, while she listened to the lyrics quietly. Then, she slowly put a hand over hers and said, almost like a whisper:

"Do you want to tell me what the fight was about?"- Yukari immediately regretted about the question when Delilah flinched a little bit – "It's okay, you don't have to tell me, but…I understand"

"Understand what?"

"It's hard when you quarrel with your friends" – Yukari explained – "In my case, Millerna and Tomi are like family to me, so it's very hard for me when we fight over something".

"Do you guys ever fight?" – Delilah asked, surprised.

"Not over simple things, you know…" – Delilah frowned when Yukari lowered her head and a sad expression took over her features – "But we did have a huge fight about a month ago. You see, I know that we seem like we don't give a damn about what men say about us and we surely don't fall for crap from Frat boys or anything, but about a couple of months ago…I did" – Yukari noticed the way Delilah had taken the earplug from her ear and straightened on the bed. She didn't know why, but Yukari suddenly felt the need to tell her something that had been bothering her for a while now – "About three months ago, I started dating a member of the White Dragon Fraternity" – Delilah raised her eyebrows, shocked – "I thought he was different from any other Frat guy, but…it turned out he wasn't. He was just trying to get into my pants as soon as possible and when I didn't let him…he left me. It was quite devastating when the girls gave me the usual '_we told you so'_ lecture."

Yukari smiled widely when Delilah raised her hand and brushed it across her hair softly.

"I'm really sorry" – Yukari frowned when Delilah whispered to her, with an ashamed expression on her face. It was almost like she was apologizing for something she had done.

"It's okay, it was a while ago. I'm alright now. But, you know…those guys really are something terrible. Even amongst themselves, because when I was dating him, I found out about something horrible some of them had been planning to do to three of their members" – Yukari gasped when Delilah sat up completely on the bed, a bewildered look on her face.

"What are you talking about?" – She had blurted out the question in a heartbeat, leaning closer to Yukari – "What plan?"

"Well, I don't really remember everything, but…I think it had something to do with a recording" – She raised her eyebrows when Delilah gasped loudly – "I think one of the guys…Dryden or something…stole a recording from one of the guy's' bedroom. He had been planning to take over the Fraternity's Presidency for a while now and he wanted to expose one of the members of the Council by showing the recording to everybody else on a party…" – Yukari frowned again when Delilah seemed very shocked, while she ran her hands through her hair wildly – "Hey, are you okay?"

"Ye-Yeah…" – she answered, lowering her voice – "You said Dryden was the one that stole the recording? Are you sure?"

"I think so…why do you ask?" – Yukari wondered, frowning a little bit – "Do you know him or something?"

"Oh, I know him alright…" – Delilah's jaw tensed suddenly and she fisted the sheets almost painfully. Then, she shook her head and got off the bed quickly – "Sorry, Yukari, I need to go talk to the girls…"

"But…"

Yukari raised her eyebrows, completely puzzled, when Delilah almost ran out of the room.

"Van, Allen, just fucking wake up already!"

* * *

Van snapped his eyes open when Dilandau shook him violently. It was the middle of the night, but he could still see the bewildered look on his friend's face. Allen yawned loudly and sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes in the process.

"I know who stole the recording and the money!"

Suddenly, the two friends snapped out of their drowsiness and looked at him with surprised eyes.

"What are you talking about?!" – Van hissed loudly.

"I was just talking to Yukari, and she told me that she dated one of the brothers a while back" – Dilandau explained, trying to catch his breath – "He told her about a _'plan'_, designed by Dryden, to steal the recording from my room and expose me to the rest of the members of the Council! He did it to kick us out and take over the Frat's Presidency!"

"Should've known that that piece of shit had something to do with it!" – Allen exclaimed, furiously – "He's been trying to be President since forever!"

"And I bet Gaddeth had something to do with it, too" – Van said, rubbing his forehead, lost in thought.

"So, all we need to do is get it back!" – Dilandau said, triumphantly – "Now that we now who has it, we can sneak into his room and get it back!"

"How do we do that?" – Allen asked.

"On Saturday, they're throwing a party for the Frat's new members" - Van said – "There'll be tons of people, we can easily sneak into the Frat House."

"Alright, guys, we can totally do this!"

Allen and Van frowned, puzzled, when Dilandau raised his thumbs up, a big smile on his face, but then, turned around to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" – Van asked – "I'm not _that_ angry at you anymore, you can sleep in here tonight"

"Oh, thanks, but…" – Dilandau smiled even more, shaking his head – "Yukari said I could sleep in her room tonight"

"Are you going to _sleep _with Yukari?!" – Allen asked, nervous – "Dil, you can't blow our cover by hooking up with her, specially not now when we need to-"

"I'm not hooking up with her, you moron" – Dilandau said, offended by what his friend was implying – "I'm just going to sleep with her...there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"I guess…not" – Van said, wildly surprised by his friend's actions.

"Have a good night, guys! See you tomorrow morning!" – Dilandau said, cheerfully and then walked out of the room silently.

Allen and Van looked at each other, completely puzzled.

"Have you ever heard Dilandau saying he wanted to _sleep_ with a girl, as in _sleep sleep_?" – Allen asked, raising one eyebrow – "Sleep as in being next to a girl's body, cuddling and stuff?"

"No, actually…he usually asks his hookups to leave him alone '_afterwards_'" – Van answered, air quoting the last word.

"That jackass's growing soft, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" – Van muttered, raising his eyebrows. He then nodded a little and looked at Allen with a smile – "Good for him".

* * *

The next morning, when Delilah, Allison and Vanessa went downstairs, they found a discouraging scene taking place in the living room. All the girls of the Sorority, including Millerna, Hitomi and Yukari, were reading a pink piece of paper, with a disgusted expression on their faces.

"Hey, what's with those faces?" – Allen asked, frowning. He walked towards the middle of the living room and peeked over Millerna's shoulder to read the paper she was holding in front of her face.

Hitomi let out a sigh and quickly threw the paper into the trash can, with an angry gesture. Van raised an eyebrow, noticing the way she was biting her lower lip, a gesture that she usually displayed whenever she was nervous or mad.

"It's from the Asturia's Mean Girls Sorority" – Hitomi said.

Dilandau frowned, already annoyed. The Asturia's University had several Sororities, but The Mean Girls was the worst of all of them. No, it wasn't a nickname. Their Sorority was _actually_ named like that, and of course, its members were a bunch of girls that tortured and made fun of other women. Now that he thought about it, they were a female version of their Fraternity.

"They're daring us _again_ to play a soccer game against their team" – Hitomi continued explaining, shaking her head with anger – "Look at what they said" – Yukari handed the paper to Dilandau, who took it with a puzzled expression – "'_See you in the soccer field! It's that big chunk of grass you come in last on…every year_'"

"I hate those girls!" – Millerna exclaimed – "They're always trying to humiliate us! Who the hell they think they are!"

"So…?" – Allen asked, shaking his head – "What are you gonna do about it?"

"We can't go!" – Yukari exclaimed, lowering her head a little – "We could never beat them! If we go, we'd only embarrass ourselves!"

"Oh, no, ladies" – Allen said, with a mischievous smile on his face – "We're going to that soccer game"

"What?!" – The three guys raised their eyebrows when all of the girls shrieked at the same time. Then, Hitomi took a step forward and looked at him with a bewildered expression – "Of course not! Our team could never beat them, we've hardly trained since last year, we're in no shape to-"

"That was before…_us_" – Van said, pointing slightly at his two friends – "We used to play soccer… back in high school" – He lied, with a nervous smile – "We can train you before the game on Friday"

All the girls looked at each other, nervously. However, Millerna took a step towards Allen and softly placed her hand on his arm.

"Would you do that for us?" – She asked, almost like a whisper.

"Ladies…" – Allen began, walking towards his two friends. At perfect unison, the three of them crossed their arms over their chests, confidently. Then, again at the same time, they said:

"It's payback time"

TBC…


	5. I'll keep tossing rocks at your window

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

** Sorority Boys **

**Chapter Five: I'll keep tossing rocks at your window**

Van rushed through the doors of the gym, holding his bag, towards the garden.

He was going to meet her again.

Even though he had been meeting with Hitomi these days to continue their work on the draft for Mr. Lawrence's class, it had been the most wonderful time he'd ever had. Just having her near was enough for him to feel completely excited and content. She was, just as he'd dreamt before getting to know her a little deeper, absolutely wonderful. And now, on Saturday night, they were going on kind of a date. Of course, she'd just invited him without any other intentions, but he intended to make it perfect.

He had to.

He smiled when he saw her pacing on the grass, holding a book under her nose. He raised an eyebrow when he came closer, noticing the nervous expression on her face. When she lifted her head up to meet his eyes, a shiver ran through his body at the sweet smile that took over her features at the sight of him.

"Hey!" – she exclaimed, cheerfully – "You're early!"

"Yeah…" – Van said, blushing – "Soccer practice ended a little sooner than usual. What are you reading?" – he asked, dropping his gym bag on the grass.

"Oh, nothing important, I just wanted to focus on something else for a change"

"Is there something wrong?" – Van asked after noticing that she continued pacing on the grass.

"Yeah…it's kind of stupid, but…I'm worried about a soccer game against-"

"Against the Mean Girls, yeah" – completed Van, rolling his eyes. Suddenly, his stomach twisted painfully when she looked at him with a surprised expression.

"How do you know that?"

Van ran a nervous hand through his thick hair, his mind spinning quickly. He snapped his fingers and said, with a nervous smile:

"I overheard someone talking about it in the library" – he said. The knot in his stomach disappeared when Hitomi nodded slightly and continued pacing in front of him – "Why are you worried about it?"

"Because our team it's terrible at soccer" – Hitomi said, rolling her eyes – "We don't stand a chance, but I really don't want to lose against those…those…_girls_ again".

"Well…" – he began, bending down and opening his gym bag. Hitomi raised an eyebrow when he took out a soccer ball from it – "I can teach you a few things" – He watched Hitomi debating for a moment, with a frustrated look on her face.

"But we have to work! We still have to talk about those texts we went through yesterday and schedule the writing of the draft and..."

"C'mon, we can work later" – Van said, playing with the ball he was holding in between his hands – "Besides, I'm an excellent football coach".

"No doubt you are, but I really want to get this thing done quickly and-"

"Okay, okay, forget I said anything" – Van said, leaving the ball on the grass. However, when Hitomi let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground, he didn't join her. He looked at her with a mischievous smile on his face, and muttered, loud enough for her to hear – "Chicken"

Hitomi widened her eyes and glared at him furiously. She quickly got up from the grass and walked towards him. Van chuckled softly when she put her hands on both of her hips and inclined her head back to look at him closely.

"I heard that" – she said, frowning.

"I meant you to" – Van laughed, picking up the ball from the grass and walking a little further away from her. He stopped a few feet away from where she was standing and dropped the ball on the grass. Before it could bounce away, he quickly put one of his feet on top of it and lifted his head to look at Hitomi. She was still standing with her hands on her hips, defiantly – "Now, I want you to take the ball away from me"

"Okay…" – she said, nodding. Then, she stretched out her hand in front of her chest, with her palm upwards – "Give me the ball"

Van burst out laughing, which only enhanced her frustration and anger.

"You have to come over here and _take it _from me!" – he said, still laughing.

"Why?!" – she whined, frowning – "I'm asking you _nicely_ to give it to me!"

"God, you're so cute" – Van said, shaking his head. He smiled when Hitomi's cheeks flushed furiously at his comment, while she suppressed the smile that had already started to form on her lips – "But you _do_ realize that's not how soccer works, right?"

"Why do I have to do this, anyway? I hate soccer" – she answered, rolling her eyes – "I don't really get why so many people enjoy that thing"

"Hey, you're talking to the soccer team's captain" – Van said, matter of factly – "Everyone loves soccer, it's a great sport"

"Why do you like it so much?"

"Because it's pretty much the only thing that I've _chosen_ to do" – he answered.

"What do you mean?" – Hitomi answered, frowning slightly.

"Do you know who my father is?" – Van snorted, with an ironic smile on his face.

"Everyone knows who your father is" – Hitomi answered, rolling her eyes.

"What they don't know is that he's a controlling and manipulative man that has chosen every single thing for me and my brother, including our future careers. Soccer it's the only thing I chose to do. That's why I love it"

Van watched the way Hitomi sat down on the grass slowly. Then, he lifted an eyebrow when she patted the spot next to her, silently asking him to join her. The young man walked slowly towards her and sat down, still holding the soccer ball in between his hands. He felt a shiver running down his spine when she embraced her knees and sweetly placed a cheek on top of them, looking up to him.

"You can keep talking" – she said, smiling – "I'm a good listener".

Yes, she was, Van thought. Over the past few days, he'd noticed how gentle and caring she was, along with her two friends, Millerna and Yukari. They really were exceptional women, always trying to help others in their daily struggles. He had noticed it by the way they always made breakfast for everyone at the Sorority, listened to the girl's issues about school or family and offered advice for pretty much everyone.

Van felt a comforting warmth inside his chest when she blinked several times, actually waiting for him to continue.

God, she was absolutely perfect.

"It has been this way for as long as I can remember" – he began, sighing – "My father had already decided about every single aspect of my life before I was even born. I was supposed to go to the high school he'd choose, the college he'd say and then become a _lawyer_, for God's sakes" – Hitomi let out a giggle when he rolled his eyes frustratingly – "It's almost like I'm living someone else's life"

"And what do _you_ want?" – she asked, quietly – "What do you love to do, besides soccer?"

Van looked at her from the corner of his eye and debated for a moment. Could he tell her about it? About what had been his secret passion since he was a little kid? The way her beautiful green eyes were glistening behind her glasses was rather compelling. So, for the first time in his life, he decided to trust someone with his deepest secret.

"Writing" – he said, quietly – "I'd love to become a writer"

"I knew it!" – Hitomi shot her head up swiftly and snapped her fingers. She giggled when Van smiled widely at her, while she softly elbowed him – "I knew you were nerd! So, why aren't you working your way to become a writer? Are you afraid of daddy's reaction, chicken?"

"Okay, I see that I've offended you a little by that 'chicken' thing…" – Van said, rolling his eyes playfully. Then, however, he lowered his head and a sad smile formed on his lips – "But I'm not afraid of his reaction, it's just that…I'm afraid of disappointing him. Even though he's overbearing sometimes, he's a great dad and I love him…"

"You know what really is disappointing?" – Hitomi said, turning to the side to face him – "Being someone you're not. And I'm sure your dad will indeed be disappointed if you become someone other than yourself. So go, study and work your head off to become a writer! What are you waiting for?" – Van smiled softly when Hitomi placed a hand on his shoulder, confidently – "You're an artist, man! Your _job_ it's to break in through barriers! So, start with the first one and tell him what you want to do!" – when Van nodded slightly and started staring at the grass, she asked him something that had been inside her head since he'd started talking about his secret passion – "Have you written anything?"

"A couple of short stories…" – he muttered, blushing – "I posted them on a writer's blog a while back-"

"Can I read them?" – Van turned to the side to face her, blushing furiously – "Please?"

Was that a good idea?, he wondered. He swallowed hard when he remembered the content of his stories, always with a female character that resembled…_her_. He couldn't really tell her that she had been his source of inspiration for over the last four years without making a complete fool out of himself. However, the way she was silently pleading him, gave him encouragement he had lacked of since that time.

"Sure…" – he said, chuckling and playing with the ball in between his hands – "But promise me that you won't tell anybody about this"

"Are you afraid of damaging your bad-boy image? Or are you afraid of the fact that you're indeed a nerd? I totally understand if you're afraid of ruining your chances with those tons of girls that swoon over you" – Hitomi had asked him that as joke, but when Van frowned, she blinked several times.

"What are you talking about?" – he asked, confused – "What bad-boy image? What girls?"

"Oh, c'mon, don't give me that!" – She laughed loudly at his angry expression – "You have quite the reputation around here, you know? Van Slanzar de Fanel, the seductive and mysterious President of the White Dragon Fraternity, the womaniz-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there" – he said, now openly annoyed – "Haven't you heard anything I said? I'm just the President because my brother was before me, and my father before him and his father as well, and so forth. Also, I'm SO not a womanizer or anything like that"

"But…you, and your two _sidekicks_ Albatou and Schezar are known for-" – Hitomi shut her mouth quickly when he leaned towards her and frowned even more.

"They are my friends, my two best friends" – he said, clenching his teeth – "But that doesn't mean that we do or like the same things. We're completely different from each other"

"They've hooked up with almost every single girl on this campus, and now you're telling me…what? That you haven't? That you're a virgin or something?" – Hitomi joked, chuckling a little. However, when Van's face got redder than ever before, her jaw dropped instantly.

How was that even possible?!

Feeling guilty and surprised, all at the same time, Hitomi bit her lower lip. She wanted to say something, anything that could put an end to that awkward silence that had fallen between them. Her eyes lowered to the soccer ball that Van was holding between his hands and an idea popped inside her head.

Van snapped out of his embarrassment when Hitomi quickly leaned forward and snatched the ball away from his hands. He turned around with a smile when she lifted it over her head, with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Ha!" – She exclaimed, triumphantly – "I got it, and I didn't even need to get up from the grass!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" – Van laughed, leaning towards her to get the ball back – "It doesn't count as a-"

"Oh, but it does count. It totally counts as-" – she said, holding the ball away from her. However, in her attempt of keeping the soccer ball away from Van's hands, she stumbled back a little. She shrieked loudly when her upper body started to fall back, but suddenly, she felt a hand on her back. Van tried to keep her from falling, but instead, he ended up on top of her, one of his arms bracing on the side of her head and the other wrapped around her back.

For countless seconds, they just looked at each other. In the process of falling, Hitomi's eyeglasses had fell off of her face, but for some unknown reason, she could perfectly see his mahogany eyes glistening. Up-close, she noticed that they had a tint of red inside of them. On the other hand, Van noticed several freckles on Hitomi's nose and cheekbones that had been hidden under her thick eyeglasses to him, until now. He felt rather proud for having discovered something about her that probably no one else had ever seen before.

Van's pulse skyrocketed when Hitomi lifted one of her hands and trailed her slender fingers down his cheek. The touch immediately made him follow an impulse and softly touched the top of her nose with his. Her warm breath tickled against the skin of his face, while he lowered his face even more and gently placed his lips on hers.

When he pulled back a little and opened his eyes, he felt a rush of relief: Hitomi's cheeks were blushing cutely and a sweet smile had taken over her features. She placed her hand on his cheek again, with a bit more pressure now, and slightly lifted her chin towards his face. Van smiled before lowering his head again, and when their lips met again, he could almost hear the wild beating of his heart inside of his brain.

God was she perfect.

* * *

"That TOTALLY counts as second base!" – Allen hissed, raising his thumbs up in front of Van.

The three young men were in a circle, dressed up as their alter egos, while the girls of the Sorority started to gather up on the soccer field. Van had told them about his encounter with Hitomi earlier that afternoon, completely unable to control himself. His heart thrummed against his chest at an incredible speed and hadn't slowed down at all throughout the day. A sheepish smile was plastered on his face, and his two friends could clearly see how his eyes were shining brightly.

"I'm happy for you, dude" – Dilandau smirked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder – "A kiss's totally progress! You haven't seen her naked like I have though, but still…!" – Dilandau laughed loudly after dodging the punch Van had thrown to his shoulder. He then elbowed his angry friend a little, with a big smile on his face – "Seriously, though. I'm really happy for you"

Van raised his eyebrows, a little taken aback by Dilandau's words. Sure thing they had been friends for years now, but the silver haired man had always been quite conservative whenever he tried to express his emotions. The three of them loved and respected each other deeply, but only Allen and Van had been able to say it out loud on various occasions.

Dilandau had changed over the past few days, that was for sure.

"Yo, ladies!" – Allen called out, holding his whistle between his lips. He blew it, causing the girls to flinch a little – "Let's get started!"

For over two hours, Allen, Dilandau and Van trained the girls, patiently teaching them the basics of soccer. The girls stumbled and even fell on their faces several times, but the encouraging way the young men continued teaching them made them keep trying over and over again. At the end of the practice, Van held his fist high up proudly, after seeing how Hitomi executed a perfect pass over move and scored a goal. Millerna had let out an excited scream and thrown her slender body towards Allen. He quickly caught her by the waist and, laughing, he spun her in a tight embrace.

Dilandau raised his eyebrows, watching the scene in silence. Suddenly, he felt Yukari's presence by his side. His eyes went down to her features, and in a comfortable gesture, he placed an arm over her slim shoulders.

He briefly wondered about what this girl was doing to him. He didn't know exactly why, but he felt strangely comfortable around her. Even when she didn't know who he really was, he felt like he could be just his normal self around her. Why, he wondered again. Maybe it was because she didn't judge people at all. She just offered whatever good she had to other people, and expected nothing in return.

And he was very thankful for it.

"Alright, guys!" – Allen shouted, blowing the whistle – "Gather around!"

With big smiles on their faces, the girls gathered around in a circle, all of them placing their arms around each other. Allen smiled widely after taking a look at those faces covered with sweat, mud and bits of grass.

What was that? What was that awkwardly comfortable warmth that was spreading across his chest?

Oh, yeah, he thought.

He was insanely proud of them.

* * *

That night, Hitomi was singing quietly inside the kitchen, while she washed the dishes from dinner. Her mind was spinning wildly and she hadn't been able to control the urge to sing and laugh loudly throughout the day. She giggled again after feeling that pinch in her stomach, when she suddenly remembered that afternoon's events. Her hands tingled a little when she recalled the way his skin had felt under her fingers. She bit her lower lip excitedly when she remembered the soft touch of his lips on hers.

Oh, my God, that kiss.

It had been gentle, yet extremely passionate and intimate in many different ways. It had been something she had never experienced before. The remembrance of their moment made her wonder what was really happening inside of her. Sure, she barely knew him, but still, there was something about him, something wonderful: He made her feel safe, respected, admired…alive. But, what was it? What was that strange feeling that was taking over her? What was the meaning of that rush she felt every single time he looked at her? And why did she desperately want to see him again?

"Someone seems happy…"

Hitomi turned around swiftly at the sound of Yukari's voice. She had entered the kitchen quietly, holding several dirty plates in her hands, along with Millerna. Hitomi smiled again, letting out a soft giggle in the process.

"Guess what happened today…" – she said, cheerfully. From the corner of her eye, she saw Vanessa coming into the kitchen too, with another set of dishes.

"Oh, my…! Oh, no you didn't!" – Yukari let out an excited little shout, clapping her hands together with a bright smile on her face – "Did he kiss you?"

Hitomi, still trying to focus on washing the dishes, told them about her encounter with Van. With every word she said, Yukari and Millerna let out several sighs, placing their hands over chests and smiling widely. However, true to her word, she didn't tell them about what Van had told her, about him wanting to become a writer. Even when she had always told them everything about her life, she kept that part to herself. That, however, only added intimacy to the moment they had shared. She rejoiced in the fact that he had shared something that intimate with her. It was like having a secret between them.

"Oh, my, he's so romantic!" – Millerna said, letting out a sigh – "And even though he's the president of that wretched Frat, I really think he's a good guy"

"He is" – Hitomi said, smiling widely. For a moment, her eyes met Vanessa's, who had been quietly listening to her from the corner of the kitchen. She was smiling softly, with her arms crossed over her chest. Without knowing why, she felt that strange rush over her body again, which made her shake her head, confused.

"Oh, this is so wonderful!" – Yukari said, clapping her hands again – "I can totally picture him right now, staring through the window, thinking about you…" – Hitomi laughed softly, watching her friend whirling around the floor, with her head inclined towards the ceiling. Suddenly, she stopped and looked straight at Hitomi – "Can you imagine what it would be like if he showed up in the middle of the night, tossing rocks at your window? And rain would be falling down on the sidewalk, but he wouldn't go until you-"

"Seriously, Yukari" – Millerna said, rolling her eyes – "You really need to stop trying to caption every single situation with the lyrics of that freaking song!" – Hitomi let out a laugh when Yukari stuck out her tongue at Millerna.

"However…" – Hitomi muttered, biting her lower lip – "That would be extremely sweet. I surely would fall for him instantly if he showed up here in the middle of the night, Romeo style"

Hitomi continued laughing, but a slight frown took over her features when she caught a glimpse at Vanessa. Imperceptibly, she had snapped her fingers, before turning around and walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

Van opened one eye slowly and glanced at his two friends.

Allen was snoring loudly, his head almost hanging from the side of the bed. Next to him, with his face completely buried in the pillow, Dilandau was deeply asleep too.

As quietly as he could, Van pulled back the covers and stood up from the bed. He had gone to bed with his jeans and black shirt on, so he had nothing else to do but bend over to pick up his shoes. Without a making a single sound, he sneaked out of the bedroom.

Okay, this was his chance.

And he wasn't planning on wasting it.

He went downstairs and opened the front door.

* * *

Hitomi blinked a few times, unsure about what was happening. She rolled over on her bed, to the side, imagining that she was just dreaming. Letting out a sigh, she tried to fall asleep again, but then, he heard that strange sound one more time. She sat slowly on the bed and rubbed her eyes softly.

Her head twisted to the side when she heard another soft thump on the window's glass. She stood up quickly and when she peeked through the curtain, her heart stopped.

A bright smile took over her face when he gestured for her to come outside.

* * *

Van chuckled softly when he saw her walking towards him, in her pajamas and fluffy slippers. Her middle length hair seemed to be floating with the night breeze, which only added beauty to her features. She stopped in front of him, biting her lower lip and suppressing the urge to smile.

"What in the world are you doing here?" – she whispered, letting out a soft laugh – "Do you know what time it is, stalker?"

"I wanted to see you again" – he answered, shrugging.

"But we're meeting tomorrow afternoon to keep working on the essay" – she said, biting down her lip harder – "Also, you have to keep training me! Although… I'm not sure if I need you anymore" – she added, with a prideful smile – "I scored a goal today"

"You did?" – Van's sweet smile made her heart swell. He raised his hand and gently put a finger on the top of her nose – "Told you had it in you, chicken"

"Stop calling me 'chicken'! It's quite offensive, you know! Mostly because chickens scare the hell out of me" – Van burst out laughing, which encouraged her to take a step forward. He stopped laughing instantly, only to shrug again.

"I really wanted to see you" – he said, with complete honesty – "I couldn't wait until tomorrow"

"Really? Why?" – Hitomi smiled widely when he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her lower back. He gently pulled her against his chest, enjoying the height difference between them. Then, he slowly cupped her cheek with one hand and lowered his head. That incredible rush came back to run through her entire body when his lips met hers, in a passionate yet gentle caress. She smiled softly when his arms wrapped around her waist even tighter, successfully lifting her a little from the ground. Hitomi giggled when he broke the kiss, both of them gasping for air. Then, she gently caressed his flushing cheeks, enjoying the way Van kept his eyes closed and pressed his forehead against hers. However, she raised an eyebrow when he gently put her down on the floor once again and took something out from inside his jacket.

Hitomi blinked several times when he silently asked her to take the folder he was holding in front of her. With a puzzled look, she took it in her hands, noticing that it was quite heavy.

"What's this?" – she asked, confused – "Did you finish the essay behind my back?"

"You should be so lucky" – he joked nervously. He ran a hand through his hair, and cleared his throat – "No, those are…are the stories I told you about today. You don't have to read them if you don't want to, but-"

"Oh, but I'm so going to read them" – she cut in, with a mischievous smile on her face – "And if they're as good as I think they are, I'm totally going to publish them with my name and steal your shot at being famous, kid" – She smiled when he let out a soft chuckle, while he shook his head – "Thank you, Van" – she added, placing a hand on his warm cheek.

"For what?"

"For trusting with me with these" – she answered, holding the folder closer to her chest – "For trusting _me_".

Van took another step towards her and gently cupped her cheeks between his hands. He lowered his head and kissed her, slowly this time. After a brief moment, he pulled away once again, his eyes shimmering brightly.

"There's something else inside the folder" – he said, slowly brushing Hitomi's hair away from her face – "But you can see it later, I guess" – Hitomi giggled when he pulled her closer once again, with one arm wrapped around her lower back while his other hand cradled the back of her head – "Go to sleep now, it's late. I'll see you tomorrow" – he whispered against her ear, sending another set of shivers down her spine. She then closed her eyes when he gently kissed her temple, to then, reluctantly, letting go of her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then" – she said, slowly. She started to walk towards the front door, but then, biting her lower lip again, she quickly turned around and took his head between her hands. She kissed him softly once again, enjoying the sound of surprise that came out of Van's chest. Hitomi laughed softly when she saw his flushed cheeks, after breaking the kiss – "Goodnight, stalker"

"Goodnight, chicken" – he answered, with a bright smile.

As soon as Hitomi closed the door, she opened the folder with a swift movement.

One hand flew to her chest, while a wide smile took over her face.

She held the white rose in between her slender fingers, to then place it over her heart.

TBC…


	6. An invitation

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

** Sorority Boys **

**Chapter Six: An invitation**

"_Hey, stalker. The soccer game it's today at four. Are u coming?"_.

Van was contemplating his phone, lying casually on the bed, when suddenly Dilandau snatched it away from his hands.

"Hey, give that back!" – Van exclaimed, feigning anger. He shook his head when Dilandau smiled at him and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, this is SO sweet!" – Dilandau said, handing the phone to Allen, who read the text message Hitomi had sent Van a few moments ago – "Are you coming, though?"

"Should I?" – Van asked, biting his lower lip. He shook his head, surprised, when he noticed that he had started imitating Hitomi's gestures.

"Why shouldn't you?" – Allen asked, tossing the phone towards Van – "You guys are totally together now, right?"

"I don't know, but still, that's not what I meant" – Van said, rolling his eyes – "If I go, it'd be as myself, not as _Vanessa_" – he made a disgusted gesture with his mouth – "And what would happen if the team needs me to play or something like that?"

"We can totally handle it" – Allen said, confidently. Then, he added, wiggling his eyebrows – "Besides, I'm bringing my secret weapon to the game, and I'm telling you, those bitches won't ever see it coming"

"What secret weapon?" – Dilandau asked, confused. However, when Allen just shrugged at his question, his attention drove elsewhere. He quickly bend over to pick up Van's phone from the bed and started typing on its screen – "I'm texting her back"

"WHAT?!" – Van got up quickly from the bed and tried to take the phone away from Dilandau's hands – "GIVE ME THAT!"

"Relax, I'm just texting her all those things you're too chicken to say" – Dilandau laughed loudly when Van literally jumped towards him, but his body was caught up between Allen's strong arms – "blah, blah, blah_…can't wait to see you…NAKED"_ – he said, typing wildly on the screen of the phone. Then, he lifted his head to look at Van and raised an eyebrow, with a naughty smile on his face – "Aaaaaand SEND!" – He looked at him triumphantly, handing him back the phone– "You're welcome"

"Oh, my God, PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T-" – However, when he snatched the phone back from his hands and read the text he'd sent Hitomi, with a bewildered look on his face, he suddenly stopped breathing. He blinked several times, noticing that Allen was peeking over his shoulder, reading the message as well. Both of them lifted their heads at the same time, looking at Dilandau with a frown adorning their faces – "This is actually…really nice, Dil"

"I know. Like I said…you're welcome" – Dilandau shrugged slightly and turned around to walk out the bedroom. However, before opening the door, Van's voice stopped him.

"How did you come up with such a sweet text?"

"Oh…" – Dilandau said, shaking his head. Then, he just shrugged again nonchalantly – "I just went all WWYS"

"WWYS?" – Allen asked, frowning even more.

"What Would Yukari Say" – And just like that, Dilandau walked out of the bedroom.

Allen and Van looked at each other, with their eyebrows lifted and their mouths slightly open.

"Never thought I'd live long enough to see him fall in love with a girl, dude" – Allen said, slowly.

"Dude…" – Van said, nodding a little.

* * *

Hitomi clenched her teeth when she saw the group of women approaching them on the soccer field. They were wearing their usual pink short that barely covered their respective bodies and short shorts, of the same bright pink. Hitomi lifted her head proudly when their captain took a few steps towards her, looking up and down at her. She was almost as tall as Hitomi, but they were completely different in pretty much every other aspect: The girl standing in front of her had tanned skin, big blue eyes and hair slightly blonde. However, in that moment, her hair had a bright pink tone under the sunlight. Surely she had dyed it with a temporary spray, only to match the color of her soccer uniform.

"Good to see you again, Hitomi" – The girl said, smiling – "I had almost forgotten how ugly you are".

"Wish I could say the same, Merle" – Hitomi fired back – "But seeing you again isn't at all pleasant"

"Oh, burn!" – Merle mocked, with a feigned expression of hurt on her face – "I see you still are just a fucking nerd. No wonder Amano dumped you in a heartbeat after hooking up with me"

Hitomi couldn't hide her shock at Merle's last words. The other girl chuckled loudly, and then took another step towards the blonde girl. She lifted her chin just enough, causing her nose to bump against Hitomi's.

"Didn't you know?" – she whispered, smiling widely – "Amano cheated on you with me, sweetheart. And then dumped you like the _dog girl_ you are."

"How come he isn't here with you, then?" – Hitomi asked, softly – "Could it be that he wasn't that interested in you, after all?"

"Oh, I see someone has been taking her confidence pills!" – Merle laughed, shaking her head – "Good for you, honey. You'll need them today"

Hitomi opened her mouth to respond, but then, someone else took over the situation. She raised an eyebrow, confused, when a teenage girl showed up from nowhere and stood up in front of Merle: She was tall, with very light skin and short blonde hair. She had big blue eyes that in that moment were glaring furiously at Merle.

"And you better back off right now, skank!"

Hitomi blinked several times, very much surprised when Merle flinched at the high pitched tone of the girl's voice. She also noticed the way several of Merle's teammates started to gather around them in a circle, readying themselves to intervene if necessary. Hitomi shot a desperate look towards Yukari and Millerna, who quickly moved towards the circle of women on the soccer field.

"And you are…?" – Merle said, with a smile that tried to hide the fact that she was actually getting nervous by the way the girl was staring at her. However, when the rest of her teammates reached her position, she straightened her back proudly. She was the captain after all, so showing weakness wasn't an option for her. Licking her lips swiftly, she leaned in towards the girl's face – "What did you say your name was again, little…_bitch_?"

Hitomi suppressed a smile when Merle took a quick step back when the girl leaned in, fearless. She almost spit out the words at the other girl's face:

"I'm the ass kicking little bitch that's gonna twist you like a fucking balloon animal if you don't turn around and walk away!" – She said, loudly enough for everyone to hear – "I'm gonna beat you up so fucking hard that those fake boobs of yours will deploy like fucking airbags! So, apologize to my captain RIGHT NOW!" – Even though Hitomi hadn't seen this girl before, she immediately felt grateful for her presence: The way Merle slouched a little when the girl poked her chest with a slender finger, marking her every word, was just priceless. She snorted a laugh against her palm when the girl leaned in even closer, her face just a few inches away from Merle's – "What, are you fucking deaf? Or just plain stupid?" – Merle took a step back when the girl poked her again, this time a little more forceful – "APOLOGIZE TO MY CAPTAIN!"

"I've nothing to apologize for, since she's-"

"APOLOGIZE FOR HOOKING UP WITH HER BOYFRIEND!" – Merle shrieked loudly when the girl grabbed her by her shirt, glaring furiously at her when she pulled her body closer to hers. She shot a desperate look to her teammates, but all of them seemed too afraid to even move – "APOLOGIZE OR SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FUCKING TEETH!"

"Let go of-!"

"APOLOGIZE!" – The girl raised her fist, which made Merle shake wildly.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" – Merle said, raising her hands in front of her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and moved her head away from the girl – "I'm sorry, I'm so terribly sorry! Please, don't hurt me!"

"_I'm sorry Hitomi for being such a bitch!"_ – the girl said, clenching her teeth – "SAY IT!"

"I'm sorry, Hitomi, for being such a bitch" – Merle let out a sigh of relief when the girl swiftly let go of her shirt, still with a furious expression on her face. A few instants later, the girl lifted her arms a little by her sides, as if challenging the other girls standing in front of her – "Why am I still looking at you?!"

Hitomi softly elbowed Yukari and Millerna, who finally let go the breath they'd been holding while contemplating the scene and burst out laughing. They laughed even harder when Merle tripped and stumbled on the grass, in the hurry of escaping out of there as fast as she could.

The girl turned around, with a big smile on her face.

The girls smiled back when Allison, who had been watching the scene from safe distance, swiftly stopped next to the girl and put an arm around her slim shoulders.

"I see you guys already met our secret weapon!" – she said, pulling the girl closer to her body – "Girls, let me introduce you to Celena, my little sister"

* * *

Allen felt strangely comfortable yelling orders back and forth during the game. He had surprised himself by how desperately he wanted the girls to win the soccer game. Throughout the days they had been in the Sorority, disguised as their alter egos, he had found that women weren't at all like the way he used to believe. Of course, the only experience he had ever had with women was when he had tried to hook up with any of them. But now, everything seemed to be different for him.

Women were indeed complicated, but at the same time, extremely simple. For instance, he'd discovered that women, that _these women_, were all about honesty. They usually shared their most intimate secrets with each other, but none of them judged each other. On the contrary, they always offered council and comfort to anyone who needed it.

He'd been especially surprised by the way he'd developed a soft spot for Millerna. She was kind, beautiful and caring, always trying to cheer him up whenever he seemed to be overwhelmed over anything. She had talked to him for hours whenever they were alone at the Sorority house, always with that kind smile on her face, while she listened carefully to whatever that was going on inside his mind.

"Millerna, split the defense!" – He shouted at the girl, loudly – "Defense, form a triangle now!"

When Millerna passed the ball to Yukari, on the side of the soccer field, he let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, she'd learnt that from him. Just a few days ago, Millerna wasn't even capable of stopping a soft pass with her feet without letting out a shriek of fear. But now, he felt insanely proud of his friend, who almost seemed like she'd played soccer her entire life.

His _friend_, he thought.

Much like Dilandau, Allen always had kept himself at safe distance from female friends. Mostly because he didn't understand the way their minds worked at all. But now, everything was different. His eyes wandered over the field, remembering every single thing these girls had shared with him, and a warm smile took over his face.

Good for me, he thought again.

"I see you pulled a rabbit out of the hat, Al" – Dilandau said, laughing a little while he watched Celena engaging in a glaring contest with one of the Mean Girls, while she covered Hitomi's position.

"Celena plays soccer since kindergarten, Dil. She's totally a pro" – Allen said, looking at him from the corner of his eye – "And she was eager to help us out"

"Really? Doesn't seem like your sister. I'd have thought she'd ask you for something in return"

"Oh, but she did" – Allen smiled sheepishly at Dilandau, raising his thumbs up – "Guess who's gonna take her to prom!"

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITT-"

"Oh, come on, Dil! I had to!"

"Why are you always trying to hook me up with your little sister?!"

"I'd love to have you as my brother" – Allen joked, bowing deeply, in mock significance.

"Do I really need to remind you that SHE'S SIXTEEN?! And I'm twenty-two, for God's sakes!"

"So what? She's totally not a virgin" – Allen shrugged and shook his head at the puzzled young man standing next to him.

"What?!"

"Oh, come on, she might be sixteen, but she's mentally mature enough to decide whatever she wants! And it's _her_ body and _her_ sexuality! Jesus, haven't you learned anything from us being in a Sorority these past few days?"

"So…" – Dilandau began, swallowing hard – "You'd be okay with me dating your sixteen year old sister?"

Allen turned around to face him, with a calmed expression. Dilandau raised an eyebrow, confused. But then, he barely had time to jump backwards when Allen threw him a punch to the face, with an enraged look.

"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T BE OKAY WITH IT, YOU DAMN PERVERT!" – He yelled, clenching his teeth – "AND OF COURSE SHE'S A VIRGIN, SO STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER! You're just taking her to prom, and I'll be your damn chaperon, so don't even think about-"

However, Allen abruptly stopped yelling when his eyes diverted from Dilandau's face and went on to the soccer field. He let out a shout of victory when Hitomi scored the first goal of the first half. He laughed loudly when Millerna jumped towards her and knocked her off, both of them landing softly on the grass. However, that sudden happiness swiftly disappeared when Merle took the opportunity of the stopped game and kicked Yukari on the ankle.

"YO, REF!" – Allen shouted, angrily towards the young man standing on the middle of the field – "WANNA DO YOUR JOB AND KICK THAT BITCH OUT OF THE GAME?!"

Yukari fell on the grass, letting out a painful scream, while she held her right ankle between the palms of her hands.

Allen started to run forward, but then, someone else ran by him at an incredible speed. He stopped rapidly when he saw Dilandau, a.k.a. _Delilah, _running towards Yukari. He watched him kneeling on the ground next to her, gently checking her injure. Just a moment later, he quickly scooped her up in his arms, under the surprised and confused expression of Yukari's teammates, surely because of the display of strength shown by the other girl.

Allen wiggled his eyebrows imperceptibly, watching how Dilandau walked out the field with Yukari in his arms, towards the locker room.

Yeah, that idiot was totally hung up on her.

* * *

Dilandau gently put Yukari on one of the benches that were inside the locker room. Then, he carefully took off her snicker, earning a quiet yelp of pain from her. He looked up quickly, noticing the way she was clenching her teeth, while she held back a few tears that were escaping from the corner of her eyes. He swiftly got up and opened his locker, taking a pack of ice from inside of it.

He knelt down in front of Yukari and slowly put the pack on top of her ankle. She flinched a little at the sudden cold touch of it with her skin, but just when he added a little pressure, she immediately felt her pain subsiding a little. Dilandau chuckled a bit, while he softly leaned in and put a hand on Yukari's cheek.

"You okay?" – he asked – "I think it's just a bad bruise"

"Yeah, I think so too" – Yukari muttered, suddenly blushing. What was happening? Why Delilah seemed so nervous in that moment? And what that strange feeling that was rushing through her body? Momentarily, she allowed herself to look at her eyes, while she swallowed quite hardly.

Those eyes were extremely beautiful and rare. For as long as she could remember she'd been usually curious about other people's eyes, and Delilah's eyes were incredible strange. She'd never seen ruby eyes like those, it was quite unlikely. They made a beautiful contrast between her light skin and silvery eyebrows.

And in that moment, those shimmering ruby eyes were staring at her quite intensely. She frowned, confused, when Delilah leaned in closer to her face. What was she doing? Was she going to…_kiss_ her? Why? Was Delilah a lesbian? Did she think she was one too?

And why wasn't she pulling away?

"Everything okay in here?"

Yukari flinched wildly when she heard a male voice from the entrance of the locker room. Immediately, she noticed the way Delilah's shoulders tensed after turning to the side to stare at whoever was standing on the door. Yukari didn't know who he was, but apparently, Delilah did.

She got up quickly and faced the young man standing under the frame. He was tall, with long brown hair that reached his shoulders. He had tan skin and dark eyes, currently semi-hidden behind a pair of sunglasses that casually hanged just before the tip of his nose.

"Who are you?" – Yukari asked, frowning. She narrowed her eyes even further when he barely acknowledged her presence, by merely glancing towards her. Then, his eyes went straight to Delilah, who was still standing silently in front of him. Yukari raised an eyebrow when she noticed the way her hands were painfully clenched into fists, her knuckles almost completely white.

The young man took a step forward and seductively smiled at Delilah.

"Hey, I don't think we've met" – He said, walking closer to her – "And that's really strange, since I know every hot girl's name of this campus".

Yukari frowned even more when Delilah flinched at his comment, her shoulders relaxing a little bit. The young man stretched out a hand and offered it to Delilah.

"I'm Dryden, the future president of the White Dragon Fraternity" – he said, smiling widely when Delilah raised a trembling hand and slightly shook his – "Care to tell me your name, beautiful?"

"D-Delilah…Jones" – she muttered, under her breath.

"That's such a beautiful name" – he said, completely ignoring Yukari – "Say, Delilah…how about you go to my Frat on Saturday? We're throwing a party for our new members and…I'd really love for you to come"

Yukari's head shot towards Delilah, who had a strange expression on her face. It wasn't surprise…it almost seemed like she was trying to control the urge of throwing herself towards the young man and punch him repeatedly. Then, she gasped when Delilah slowly nodded, finally letting go of his hand.

"Wonderful" – he said, business-like – "I'll see on you Saturday, then"

Letting out a soft chuckle, he slightly brushed his thumb on Delilah's chin, before turning around to walk out of the locker room.

"Delilah!" – Yukari almost shouted, once they were alone again – "How could you agree to come to that party? Remember when I told you about that man I dated-"

"I know" – Delilah cut in, still facing the door. Then, Yukari watched her lower her head a little, lost in thought. She could tell that she was debating internally about something, but suddenly, she then turned around and faced her – "Yukari" – she began, swallowing hard – "Can I trust you with something?"

Yukari frowned, confused. Then, she slowly nodded, with a nervous smile on her lips.

"That's the guy that has the recording of…of…" – Delilah swallowed again, almost painfully – "Of a _friend_ of mine. That's why I'm going to that party, to get it back for him"

"Delilah…" – Yukari whispered, nervous – "What's on that recording? Why is it so important?"

"My friend's…kind of a freak" – Delilah said, shaking her head shamefully – "He's a selfish, careless and insensitive idiot, but…he made a mistake and filmed himself while having sex with a girl. With _several_ girls."

"And Dryden wants to expose _him_? Why?"

"Because his two best friends are the president and vice-president of the Fraternity" – Delilah explained, her voice shaking a little – "And even though they know my friend's an asshole, those two are willing to go down with him. They'll defend him no matter what, and they'll be kicked out of the Fraternity because of him".

"Even if that's the case…" – Yukari said, slowly – "Dryden has no right to do something like that. Even if your friend did film himself with several girls, he shouldn't be exposed like that! Nobody deserves that, it's horrible!"

"But he _does_ deserve it…"

"No, he doesn't! Even if he made a mistake like that, everybody deserves a second chance!"

"Why?!" – Yukari gasped when Delilah almost growled, glaring at her furiously – "He's an idiot! A selfish and useless asshole that didn't give a shit about any of those girl's feelings! He just made that recording to feel better about himself, like some insecure jackass that needs to prove himself he's _a real_ man!"

"…And yet, he's your friend" – Delilah widened her eyes when Yukari smiled softly at her – "He can't be that bad"

"Wha-What?"

"He's your friend, Delilah" – Yukari explained, shrugging – "And therefore, I'm sure he's a good person, deep inside. And the fact that his two friends are willing to risk themselves for him only proves that I'm right. He's a good person, I'm sure because nobody would love him _that_ much if he wasn't"

"You don't know what you're saying, Yu" – Delilah huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, but I do" – Yukari giggled and then, her eyes lowered to her injured feet. She wiggled her leg a little and looked upwards to her again – "You're one of the best persons I know, Delilah. So, I'm sure that your friend's actually a good guy".

Yukari smiled softly when Delilah blinked several times.

Her ruby eyes were shimmering again.

* * *

Hitomi jumped and hurled herself towards Millerna, letting out a joyful scream.

The game was over and they had won. For the first time in over four years, they had won the freaking game against those Mean Girls, three goals against one.

Her eyes flew to the side of the soccer field, where she had seen Van just a few moments ago.

In that moment, her heart skipped a beat: There, standing closely to Van and talking heatedly with him, was Delilah.

And she could've sworn that a strand of silver hair was softly resting on her forehead, hidden between her blonde curls.

TBC...


	7. Exposed

**gmDisclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

** Sorority Boys **

**Chapter Seven: Exposed**

Van was uncomfortably looking around the department store, while Dilandau browsed through the racks, in search of something to wear that very night. Van nervously rubbed his forehead, messing his wig a little bit. He carefully straightened it a moment later, looking over his shoulder to make sure that no one had seen him.

"Please, be a size eight…please, be a size eight…" – Dilandau mumbled, trying to find the tag on a short red dress hanging on the rack. Then, involuntarily his manly voice went through his teeth, in a joyful exclamation – "OH, YEAH!" – He exclaimed triumphantly, while he held the dress high. He laughed a little when Van elbowed him quite hard, with a bewildered expression on his face. Dilandau stopped laughing when Van lowered his gaze and bit his lower lip – "What's wrong?" – he asked, turning around to face him.

"Today there's a reading of…never mind" – he said, shaking his head – "It's just that I have a date with Hitomi and-"

"Oh, no, you're not going on any date tonight!" – Dilandau warned, his voice low – "We're going to the party at the Frat house, to get that damn recording back."

"Why can't Allen go with you again?"

"It's Celena's birthday, you insensitive asshole" – Dilandau rolled his eyes playfully – "He's going out to have dinner with his parents, so he's off. Therefore, YOU have to help me get that wretched thing back. You're my wingman".

"I know, it's just that…" – Van swallowed hard, trying to focus – "I _promised_ her that I would go with her, but-"

"But nothing, man!" – Dilandau placed a hand on Van's shoulder, forcing him to look at him. Then, he rolled his eyes playfully – "I know that _finally _you have a chance to get laid with-"

"Don't even say something like that!" – Van cut in, greeting his teeth – "I'm not trying to get laid, or anything like that with Hitomi! She's not just like some of those insignificant one-night-stands of yours! She's different"

"No, she's not" – Dilandau said, rolling his eyes again – "May I remind you that I've seen her naked? And yeah, she's just like any other woman, with breasts and a v-"

"Say it again, and _I swear-"_

"Okay, okay, just relax, dude! Geez, take a joke every now and then! What I meant was that…yeah, Hitomi's a woman, but you shouldn't idolize her that much. I'm pretty sure she has wants and needs under those big baggy clothes she always wears that…ugh" – Dilandau gagged playfully, faking disgust – "She should really change her style, maybe with the proper assistance and advice, you could really make a hottie out of-"

"Your point, Dil?" – Van said, shaking his head with a sigh.

"I don't really have a point" – Dilandau said, shrugging nonchalantly – "Just wanted to let you know that you can't go on that damn date tonight. You have to drug Dryden and make sure that he doesn't follow me upstairs, do you understand?"

"I know, but Hitomi-"

"Do you understand, Van?" – Dilandau asked again, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him slightly – "Eyes on the fucking prize, man! We're this close – he lifted his hand, with his thumb and index finger almost touching each other – to go back to our normal lives! Just think about it! No more dresses, no more heels, no more makeup! No more of us pretending to be women! We can go back to the Frat house and put an end to all of this bullshit!"

"Do you really want to go back?" – Van blurted out, his voice strained and tired – "You've seen the way the brothers behave on a daily basis around women like the Sorority girls, right? Do you actually want to keep being a member of a Fraternity like that?"

"So what? Maybe they're like you say, but we're not anymore! We can go back just until we graduate, then everything will be different and-"

"What about Yukari?" – Van cut in, raising his eyebrows –

"What about her?" – Dilandau shook his head when he suddenly felt his cheeks on fire – "What are you talking about?"

"You want to go back to the Frat, but haven't you thought about what will happen to your relationship with her then?"

"What relationship? Yukari's my…_friend_" – Dilandau swallowed hard, uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to the other – "We can still hang out together, she already knows me and-"

"She knows _Delilah_" – Van cut in, frustratingly – "Delilah's her friend, not Dilandau. She knows someone who doesn't exist at all".

"You don't know that!" – Dilandau exclaimed, gritting his teeth painfully – "She does know me. She knows me deeply, I've shared things with her that even you two guys don't know about me! So, stop saying that she'll keep herself away from me once Delilah's gone, because that won't happen!"

Out of the trio, Van had always been the brutally honest one. Even if it hurt, he had always tried to be completely honest with his two friends, since he considered that truth was the foundation of every single relationship he had. For him, lying to his two friends wasn't an option.

And this time, it was no exception.

"You will lose her" – Van said, slowly. Dilandau widened his eyes for a moment, but then, his usual temper took over his body. Not caring if someone could overhear them, he leaned closer to Van's face and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"Then I'll get her back!" – he exclaimed, furiously – "If I lose her, I'll get her back!"

Van just let out a sigh when Dilandau let go of him and walked towards the dresser. Damn, he was stubborn. Of course that nothing was ever going to be the same once Yukari found out the truth about Dilandau. She knew nothing about him, and yet, she knew everything, but from a different perspective.

Van and Allen had indeed noticed how Dilandau had changed over the last few days: Even when they knew he'd never admit it out loud, he had fallen quite hard for Yukari. She had done something to him they believed to be impossible…she had made him want to be a better man. She had made him want to be someone worthy of her affection. However, even if their alter-egos disappeared and their true selves replaced them, it wouldn't be the same. Yukari didn't know Dilandau at all; she hadn't even talked to him as himself. And now, Dilandau was desperately trying to believe that she'd develop the same relationship she had with Delilah, but instead, it'd be with him.

Suddenly, Van considered what would happen to him once they abandon the Sorority. Would Hitomi ever find out that he'd lied to her? What would she do? Would she just forget about everything that had happened between them? Would he ever have the courage to tell her the truth?

Damn it, he was such a hypocrite. He had been the last minutes berating Dilandau over the fact that he was so naïve to believe that Yukari would just run to him once Delilah was gone, and now he was being just as naïve. Of course Hitomi would despise him if she ever found out about what they'd done. She'd think that he was as much of a liar as Amano, and she'd be right. Suddenly, the idea of losing her over something as idiotic as getting back to the Fraternity, made him shiver with anger. Why was he doing this? He didn't want to go back at all. He had actually enjoyed the last few days, away from all of those morons that only thought about what was best for them.

He let out another sigh when he remembered what the issue in this situation was really: Dryden was planning to expose Dilandau that night, and that would be certainly the end of his friend. The video of him having sex with several girls would go viral, everyone would find out about what had happened and he'd lose everything. Not to mention the fact that he'd be instantly expelled from the University, he wouldn't graduate and his career prospects would be ruined.

Yes, his feeble relationship with Hitomi would be threatened…but on the other corner, there was Dilandau, one of his best friends. There was the man that had been with him over the years, supporting him whenever he needed him to and…he was worth it.

Van shook his head again and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.

Without hesitation, he texted her.

Damn it, they'd better get that wretched recording that night.

* * *

Dryden looked at himself on the mirror of the bathroom, with a wide a smile.

Shaving, done.

Hair, checked.

Smile, gorgeous as ever.

He was ready.

He smiled widely at himself again and walked out of the bathroom, towards the stairs.

That night everything had to be perfect: Not only he had an especial date that night, but also, that night would mark the beginning of his very first period as president of the Fraternity.

When Gaddeth, Gatti and him had planned to steal the money for the graduation from Dilandau's room, they had never expected to find that recording. It had been quite the nice surprise: The three of them had wanted to take over the Fraternity for a while now, and when Van announced that Dilandau would be the keeper of the Frat's funds, they decided to steal the money and blame Van for it. However, when they found the recording that showed Dilandau's many one-night-stands, they knew they had the perfect opportunity to take the three of them down. Allen and Van would never let his friend go down by himself, and therefore, they would take part of the blame.

Dryden smiled proudly while he went downstairs: This was it, this was what he was meant to be. He was supposed to be the president of the Fraternity from the start, but Van, being that obnoxious daddy's boy, had taken the position from him. Sure thing they had voted and stuff, but c'mon, man! Everyone knew that Van only took the presidency to make his daddy proud, he had never really cared about it. He was the perfect student, the perfect gentleman, the perfect everything, but he didn't really like being a member of the Fraternity.

And he hated him for it.

Dryden's smile widened when he saw a familiar pair of eyes staring at him: Gaddeth approached him slowly, holding a red cup.

"I see everything's ready!" – Dryden said, chuckling and looking around the house, were dozens of people seemed to be having a great time – "Is my pretty date here?"

"Not yet" – Gaddeth huffed, handing him the cup – "I still can't believe you invited that dog girl to the party"

"Why not? She's pretty damn hot"

"Dryden, she's totally a dog" – Gaddeth huffed, shaking his head – "Your tastes on women are as bad as they had always been"

"Careful, my friend" – Dryden warned, frowning – "Don't you dare ruin my night with her" – Then, Dryden looked down to the cup, raising it a little towards Gaddeth – "Did you put the secret ingredient in this?"

"If by 'secret ingredient' you mean 'rohypnol'…" – Gaddeth began, smiling softly – "Yeah"

"Thank you" – Dryden said, smiling widely – "I bet she'll like it very much".

* * *

Van bit his lower lip, nervously, when they arrived at the Frat house. They had gone through the back door, completely unseen. There were tons of people at the party, most of them completely drunk already. So, they were able to sneak into the house without any problem.

Dilandau, as Delilah, was clutching nervously his hand around the small bottle inside his jacket pocket. They had brought a single dose of sleeping syrup, which would be enough to knock Dryden out for the entire night with just one sip.

"Ok, the plan's simple" – Dilandau hissed, looking at Van from the corner of his eye – "I'm going to talk to him, and then you'll show up. You say 'hi'; ask him how are things, blah, blah, blah and I will put the syrup in his drink. I'll tell him to go upstairs with me and once he's out, I'll get the recording."

"Okay…" – Van said, nodding – "Are you sure you can get him to go upstairs?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but…yeah" – Dilandau made a disgusted gesture with his mouth – "When he invited Delilah, he seemed very interested. Can't believe that the only man that found me attractive was that jerk".

"Told you Delilah was totally hot" – Van said, suppressing a smile.

"Oh, shut up, _Vanessa_"

Dilandau let out a nervous sigh and walked towards him.

He was standing on the bottom of the stairs, talking with some girl he didn't know.

Perfect, he thought. Once he got there, he had to distract him somehow. Then, he'd slip the syrup and Dryden would pass out a few moments later, giving him enough time to go with upstairs and look for the flash drive with the recording freely.

It was a perfect plan.

It would be okay.

Everything would be okay, right?

...He should be so lucky.

* * *

Hitomi was walking down the street slowly, completely lost in thought.

She had just left the small coffee shop, where the reading had taken place. She had hoped to go with Van, as they had agreed a few days ago. However, that morning she had received a text from him, saying he'd woken up terribly sick and that he couldn't make it that night.

Letting out a sigh, she couldn't help the strange thoughts that were randomly going through her mind. Why did this sudden excuse of being sick felt so much like a lie? Did she have any reasons to distrust him? Over the last few days, she had noticed something strange whenever she was with Van: He seemed nervous about something, but every time she had asked him about it, he'd said that it was nothing. But why did she feel like she couldn't believe him?

And there was another thing: He had seen him several times with Delilah, talking almost in whispers. Did the two of them know each other? Since when? Because when she'd asked him about her, he hadn't given her a straight answer.

Was she jealous? No, it wasn't that. It was a strange feeling, but she couldn't name it yet.

Much like her _other_ feelings: She had been extremely surprised by how natural and simple seemed to be the way she'd developed a deep feeling for him. Hitomi, over the last few days, had found herself wishing she could see him again. It was almost like she couldn't get enough of him. He was completely different from any other man she'd ever met. Underneath that shy and mysterious behavior, she'd found a gentle and passionate man that made her heart swell by just looking at her. And the way he made her feel, was completely new to her too. She'd never felt as warm, cared for and valuated as a woman by any man other than Van. He truly listened to her thoughts whenever they talked, and valued her opinion immensely when they addressed the issues that were important to her. But at the same time, he was extremely sweet and passionate when they were alone.

Was this love? Was she in love with him? How could that be? They hardly knew each other, but at the same time, she felt like she'd known him since forever.

Shaking her head, she tried to block all those strange thoughts about him being dishonest with her. Maybe all of it was just a figment of her imagination. Or maybe it was just that, after her disastrous relationship with Amano, she had trouble believing that not all men were like him.

Yes, maybe that was it.

She had no reason to distrust him, at all.

But then, something happened.

She was walking by the White Dragon Fraternity on her way back to her Sorority, that apparently was holding a big party in that moment.

And she saw him.

With Delilah.

* * *

"I'm so glad to see you, beautiful" – Dryden said, smiling widely when Delilah stood in front of him – "I almost thought you'd bailed on me"

"Oh, but how could I do something like that?" – the girl answered, giggling softly and playing with a blond strand of her hair – "You were so nice when you invited me, so it was impossible for me to say no to you"

"Oh, but what if the invitation had came from someone else?" – Dryden said, offering Delilah a red cup of beer – "Would you have come anyway?"

Dryden smiled, delighted, when Delilah chuckled a little bit and shook her head slightly. Perfect, he thought, when she took the cup and sipped from it carefully. Just a few more sips, and she would be ready…for him. He leaned in closer, stroking her hair softly and enjoying the shy laughter that came out of her mouth.

But then, someone else stopped him.

"Hello, Dryden. Having a good time?"

He swiftly turned to the side, and his eyes narrowed when he saw him there, standing in front of him, with that self confident expression on his face. Damn it, how he hated him.

"Hey, Van" – he greeted, with a frown – "I haven't seen you around here over the last few days".

"Just came here to grab a couple of things" – Van answered, smiling softly – "I see that everything seems quite the same around here"

"And what did you expect, pretty boy?" – Dryden asked. He didn't notice the way Delilah had came closer to his side, without making a single sound – "Why shouldn't we enjoy ourselves without you three?"

"You're talking like this _situation_'s going to be permanent" – Van said, raising his eyebrows – "Aren't you supposed to be looking for the one that stole the money for the graduation?"

"Oh, but we know who did it" – Dryden said, confidently – "We're just waiting for the right time to show it to everyone"

"Really? That sounds pretty damn good, Dryden" – Van said, smiling again – "Can't wait to find out"

Dryden snorted a laugh and took a long sip from his beer, in order to calm himself down. Van had managed to upset him, with his eternal boss like attitude. He frowned a little when he noticed that his drink tasted a little sourer than before. However, when he turned around to look at Delilah, he smiled again when he noticed the way her ruby eyes seemed to be slightly unfocused.

Good, he thought.

Just a few more minutes.

"So, wouldn't want to keep you busy" – Dryden said, towards Van – "Please, make yourself at home, Van. Enjoy the party with rest of the guys…while you still can"

However, he immediately noticed that he no longer had the man's attention. He was turned around, facing the open door, with his eyes fixed on someone standing on the street. Dryden looked over his shoulder and realized that there was a _dog girl_ standing near the entrance. Ugh, he thought, it was that annoying and insufferable knew-it-all, the president of the Mystic Moon Sorority. He hadn't really met her, but she had quite the reputation of being a stiff and overbearing brat. However, he frowned when he saw the look on Van's face: He seemed extremely nervous and unsettled; his shoulders were starting to shake, while his face turned incredibly pale. At the same time, he noticed that Delilah was looking over there too, while she blinked rapidly.

"Excuse…me" – Delilah said. Dryden smiled when he noticed the way her voice sounded a bit sleepy – "Would you be so kind to grab something else for me to drink, Dryden?" – She glanced slightly down to her empty cup – "It seems I'm quite thirsty tonight"

"Of course, darling" – Dryden said – "I'll get you another beer right away".

Dryden smiled again and turned around to go to the kitchen, but suddenly, he stumbled and hit his shoulder on the wall. He shook his head, confused. He had barely had anything to drink, but it seemed he was quite dizzy already. Realizing that he didn't have much time left, he hurried towards the kitchen, dropping several things on his way there.

What the hell was wrong with him?

* * *

Van blinked several times, his body completely frozen.

She was there, on the street, looking straight at him. Surely wondering why he was at a party at the Fraternity, when he was supposed to be in bed, utterly sick.

He immediately tried to run over where she was standing, when he felt Dilandau's tighten grip on his arm. He looked at him and frowned when he noticed the way his eyes seemed to be all over the place.

"The hell you doing…" – he mumbled, shaking his head. He licked his lips before continuing – "Don't go"

Van glanced at Hitomi, who seemed very surprised by the way his body was so very close to Dilandau's. Then, she frowned, almost imperceptibly, and started walking rapidly down the street.

"Shit!" – Van hissed, shaking his arm to get rid of Dilandau's hand on it – "Dil, I have to take care of this!"

"Can't" – he said, slowly, almost drawing the words out of his mouth. Van frowned when he took a few steps back, trying not to lose balance on his high heels – "Let's go upstairs and find the thingy. She can wait"

"No!" – Van exclaimed – "Go and get it yourself, Dryden's about to pass out anyway! He drank the entire beer and now he's stumbling around. You'll be fine!"

"But, maaaaaaaan" – Dilandau's eyes seemed to be trying to focus on Van's face desperately – "Wingman, need you here."

"No, you don't! I did my part, now go and do yours! I'm not letting Hitomi go away thinking that there's something going on between me and _Delilah_!"

Van gave Dilandau the key to the Sorority house, which he barely caught between his fingers and rushed down the street. Damn it, she was fast. He almost had to make a run for it, pushing aside the several men and women that were trying to get into the party.

When he saw her almost going inside the Sorority house, a few blocks away from his own Fraternity, he stopped and called out for her.

Hitomi turned around swiftly, clearly surprised. She looked up and down his body, obviously noticing that he wasn't sick at all. Van took a few steps towards her, while he squeezed his fists tightly. Damn it, if it wasn't for Dilandau and his stupid recording, he wouldn't be in this position.

"Hitomi, I…"

"I see you're not sick" – she said, calmly and looking straight at him – "At least not sick enough to miss a party at your Fraternity".

"Look, I'm sorry…" – he said, swallowing hard.

"For what?" – her tone of voice was unsettling steady, considering the fact that she had just caught him lying. It only made Van more nervous – "It's quite alright if you didn't want to go to the reading tonight to stay for the new member's party"

"No, it's not alright, because that's not why I had to go" – he explained, trying to find the exact words. He couldn't really tell her the truth, but he didn't want to keep lying to her – "You see, there's something I needed to do for…a friend of mine."

"Does this have something to do with some mysterious recording?" – Her question made Van flinch and widen his eyes – "Because Delilah told to Yukari that she was going to the party for the same reason".

"Yes, it does" – Van said, unsure about what to say next, considering that he had no idea of what the hell Dilandau had said to Yukari. Van raised his eyebrows when Hitomi's expression softened and shook her head slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me that, then?" – she asked, shrugging – "I would have understood completely. You didn't have to lie to me".

"That's why I'm sorry" – Van explained, lowering his head – "I didn't want to lie to you, but somehow…I had to. I'm really _really_ sorry, Hitomi. I would've loved to go with you, to spend the entire day together…"

"Well…" – she said, shrugging again – "It's okay. You can go back to the party now, I'm not mad at you"

When she turned around to open the door, her keys fell on the pavement when Van caught her arm and spun her around gently, but swiftly. She blinked several times when she noticed the way his mahogany eyes seemed confused and expecting.

"Why are you not mad at me?" – he asked, shaking his head – "You just caught me on a lie".

"Because…" – she stammered, confused – "Because it's okay. You had to be there for someone else, for a friend of yours and...not with me, that's all"

"But I should've been with you instead!" – he exclaimed, taking her by the shoulders – "And why are you not mad at me because of it? I lied to you, you saw me over there and-"

"Because I understand!" – she cut in, suddenly feeling a bit angry, mostly at herself – "Because I understand if something else comes first for you!"

"I don't want you to understand, Hitomi! I want you to be mad at me because I stood you up, because I lied, because I didn't put _you_ first!"

"You don't have to put me first!" – Hitomi let out a emotionless laugh – "I don't need you to"

"But what if I want to?" – Van's face was merely inches away from hers - "What if I said that I don't ever want to put you in a second place? What if I said that I want you to come first for me, in every single aspect of my life?"

Hitomi gasped at his words, completely shocked by them. What was he talking about? She didn't expect this from him. She hadn't been the first priority in anyone's life, and she had never needed it anyway. But there was something in his eyes that told her that this entire misunderstanding was terribly important for him. She had said the truth when she said she didn't mind about what had happened a few moments ago, and she believed that she had been quite understanding and reasonable. But it seemed like he didn't want her to be.

"What are you saying, Van?" – she asked, confused – "Why do you want me so badly to be upset because of what happened? I already told you that I understand if you had something else more important to do, it's just that…okay, yes, maybe I'd have appreciated if you hadn't lied to me, but…it's okay"

"But it's not-"

"Because it's okay if you don't want me!" – Hitomi blurted out. Van widened his eyes, completely frozen – "It's okay if you just want _this _– she slightly pointed at the space between them – to be some kind of friendship and-"

"It's not, because I love you!"

Hitomi wanted to continue her explanation, but his words caught her completely off guard. She blinked several times, with her mouth slightly open. Van took another step forward and pressed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and almost whispered to her:

"I have loved you since the day you dropped that pen and your hand touched mine when I bent down to pick it up" – he said, his voice a bit shaky – "I have been in love with you, every day, every hour and every minute of the last four years. And even when I thought it would be impossible for me to be even more in love with you, when you smiled to me for the very first time, I fell in love again. And again, the other day, when you hugged me. And once again when I finally found the courage to kiss you. So, PLEASE…be mad at me for lying to you".

"Why…?" – she asked, trying to hold back the tears that had gathered inside her eyes. He pulled away a little and his shimmering eyes met hers instantly. He raised a hand and placed it softly on her cheek.

"Because I need to know that at least I have a shot…" – he said, slowly – "I need to know that at least I have the opportunity of becoming someone important to you. If you don't care about me lying to you, if you don't mind being in a second place in my life…it means that I already lost".

Hitomi blinked several times, refusing to let those tears come down her cheeks. However, the way he was looking at her made her feel less self conscious about her display of emotion. She could tell by the way he'd spoken to her that he was telling the truth. Suddenly, she remembered the moment where they'd been together in the library, and he'd offered his handkerchief, when she was crying because of Amano. But then, she started to remember other times, that had slipped from her memory and only now seemed to be coming back: She remembered when she'd dropped her books on the hallway, and he had quickly come to help her pick them up. She remembered one time, early in the morning, when she had fallen asleep on the library and he was there, sitting on the desk in front of her. That time, she had woken up with her jacket over her shoulders. She had wondered who had put it there, remembering that no one else was at the library in that moment, except for the both of them.

She remembered that last year she had been quite stressed because of a paper on sustainability she had to present in class, and because of that, she had to spend countless hours in the library. And like every day, he was there, sitting on the desk. But also, she remembered that every single time she had arrived to her usual desk, there had always been a steaming cup of coffee, with cream and sugar, waiting for her. She had asked the librarian several times about it, but the old lady had just shaken her head with a smile, refusing to tell her.

It had been him, of course.

All of those times.

Van let out a slight sigh of relief when Hitomi raised her hands and put them on his cheeks. A warm shiver ran down his spine when she slowly got closer to his face and softly put her lips on his. It only lasted for a moment, but it was all he needed.

Suddenly, another kind of rush went through his entire body when she pulled away, looking at him with sparkling green eyes. She was biting her bottom lip, nervously:

"Want to come inside?" – she asked.

* * *

Dilandau stumbled his way up the stairs, confused and dizzy.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He wasn't much of a drinker, but sure thing he couldn't get drunk by just having one cup of beer. He knew how to keep his alcohol down better than that.

He heard footsteps behind him, just as dizzy and insecure as his. Good, he thought, when he noticed that Dryden was following him. It would be safer for him to make sure Dryden passed out before start looking for the recording inside his room. However, while he was desperately tried to focus, he looked down at the empty cup he was holding in his hand.

HOLLY SHIT!

He had drugged him too!

And where the hell was Van?!

He looked around, barely standing on his two feet, desperately searching for his friend's face.

"Care to come in, bbbb-beatif-beautiful?" – Dryden asked, turning the doorknob and opening the door for him. Dilandau tried to hide his state of confusion and stumbled his way in, knocking off several things on his way towards the desk inside Dryden's room. He shook his head vigorously, while Dryden shut the door and locked it, soundlessly.

Dilandau, with his head spinning, watched with horror when Dryden took off his jacket, dropping the cup of beer he was holding in the process. He tried to regain balance with a smile, but just when he was about to take a step forward, his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and his body fell on the floor with a loud thump.

Good, Dilandau, thought. Now, all he had to do was go into the closet and look for the flash drive and…

Fuck you, Van Slanzar de Fanel, he thought.

And then Dilandau fell on the floor.

* * *

Hitomi shut the door of her room quietly. It was pretty late and everyone else was asleep. She bit her lower lip again, nervously.

However, she was nervous because of what she _wanted_ to do, and not because of what she was going to do. After listening at what he'd said to her, she only had one thought in mind:

She didn't care anymore about what was right or wrong, she didn't care about what she was supposed to be like; she just wanted to act on her emotions. And in that moment, her emotions were telling her that she…wanted him.

All of him, just for herself.

Who cared if they'd just met? Who cared if this kind of relationship and closeness didn't have a name yet? Who cared about what other people might think of her because of what she _wanted_ to do?

Suddenly, she realized that she had been a fool over the years. She had always tried to put up an attitude of confidence and righteousness, just to hide the fact that she actually cared about what other people might say about her. And in the process, she had denied herself the right to be happy and carefree. In fact, she thought, all she wanted to do was to tell everybody to go straight to hell.

She didn't care about anything else other than the man standing on the floor of her bedroom.

For the first time in her life, she really wanted to be with a man.

With this man.

Hitomi smiled softly when she turned around, only to find him staring nervously at her. She took a step forward and gently placed her hands on his chest. She smiled again when, under her hand, she could feel the erratic beating of his heart. Then, she just took a step back and took off her jacket with a swift and sure movement, letting it fall on the floor carelessly.

"Hitomi…what-" – Van began, watching her closely. However, his next words got caught in his throat when Hitomi took off her glasses and then, grabbed the end of her shirt. Van watched, completely frozen, the way the soft fabric of her shirt caressed her long and slender arms when she pulled it over her head. Her skin seemed to be glistening under the moonlight, and suddenly, he felt a strange tingle on his hands.

Hitomi, feeling even more confident when she saw the look on Van's face, took another step towards him and lifted her head. When her nose slightly brushed against his chin, she whispered:

"Stay with me tonight"

Van swallowed painfully hard. Completely unable to stop himself anymore, his lips found hers swiftly. A huge wave of pleasure and shivers took over his body when he put his hand on her lower back, now completely exposed, while the other cradled the back of her head. His fingers got lost inside those soft and long blond curls, while he deepened the kiss. His other hand traveled up and down the silky skin of her back, which made her let out a soft moan against his mouth. At the sound, Van knew that he wouldn't be able to turn around and walk away if she asked him to. Trembling visibly, Van pulled away from her a little. She opened her eyes and frowned, confused. Suddenly, the fear of being rejected hit her hard on the stomach.

"Are you sure?" – he asked, his voice unsteady – "Hitomi, I-"

"Do you want to?" – she cut in, biting her lower lip nervously – "Maybe I should've asked you that first"

"You don't really think that I don't, right?" – he asked, chuckling. The smile that took over his features made her relax – "Because, obviously…I do"

"Stay, then" – she whispered, lifting her head again. She smiled against his skin when she noticed the way he shivered after placing her lips on his throat – "Stay with me"

Hitomi gasped loudly when Van closed his arms around her lower back, successfully lifting her from the floor.

* * *

Dilandau opened his eyes slowly when the sunlight coming through the window hit him right on his face. He blinked several times, confused and a little dizzy. However, when his eyes were finally capable of focusing, he widened them with horror.

This wasn't his bed.

This wasn't his room.

And the man lying next to him wasn't Allen.

Holly shit.

He sat up quickly, feeling his head spinning. He looked down and let out a slight sigh of relief once he realized he was fully clothed. He looked over his side, noticing that Dryden seemed to be completely asleep, also fully clothed.

Alright, he thought: Step one, get up from the bed.

As quietly as he could, Dilandau started to get off the bed, but suddenly, he felt Dryden's hand on top of his leg. He mumbled, still asleep, while he tried to roll over towards his body.

"_I'm so gonna beat your fucking ass after this, you piece of shit"_, he thought, gritting his teeth. As gently as possible, Dilandau took Dryden's hand off of his leg and got up the bed.

Step one, completed.

Step two, find the flash drive.

Dilandau took off his high heels and walked towards the desk without making a single sound. He looked over the desk, finding nothing. As quietly as he could, he opened the top drawer, and then, his heart stopped.

There it was.

He could've recognized it anywhere: His black flash drive, with the shape of a small dragon. Also, it had his initials craved on the top of the dragon's head.

Got you, you son of a bitch!

Letting out a sigh of relief, he walked towards the door, holding the flash drive in his fist tightly. However, he noticed that there was something awkward about the way his skirt sounded while he walked. He swiftly turned to the full-body mirror that was on the closet door. He glanced over his shoulder to check the back of his skirt on the mirror, and then a loud gasp escaped through his teeth. He quickly grabbed the top of his skirt and flipped it around his waist.

He gagged loudly when he noticed that there was _something_ sticking the fabric together.

It was some kind of _white _and_ sticky_…fluid.

"I can't wait to beat your ass, you fucking pervert!" – he hissed through his gritted teeth, looking towards the sleeping form snoring loudly on the bed.

* * *

Van opened his eyes slowly.

The first thing he saw was the back of her long and slender neck, under the feeble sunrise light.

The memories of the previous night came swiftly to his mind, especially when he noticed that his body was carefully spooning hers. Her back was slightly braced against his chest, while his left hand rested on the midsection of her body. He inhaled deeply that intoxicating perfume that reached his nostrils as soon as his face got closer to the back of her head. He smiled widely when he brushed his nose carefully against her blond curls. Slowly and gently, he pulled her closer to his chest, placing a soft kiss on her hair at the same time.

It had been even better than he'd allowed himself to dream. The first time, it had been the closest he had ever been to heaven. However, that was until the second time, when he'd realized that he could have stayed that way, with her in his arms, forever. But then, there had been a third and…well, he just couldn't accurately describe it.

It had been heavenly, if he had to put the experience into words. And he couldn't wait until the next time.

Suddenly, he remembered that he had left Dilandau alone back at the Fraternity. He was surprised by the fact that his friend hadn't crossed his mind not once since last night. Biting his lower lip, he realized that he had to go back to the room, where Allen and Dilandau probably were already waiting for him to show up. Reluctantly, he moved away from Hitomi's body and got up from the bed without making a sound. He dressed up quickly, and then bent down to pick up his shoes.

Leaving like that didn't seem right at all. So, he quickly moved towards her desk and wrote her a note on a post it: "_Had to go early to take care of something. You looked so peaceful that I couldn't bring myself to wake you up. I'll see you tonight. V."_ He gently placed the little note on her pillow, allowing himself one more instant just to look at her beautiful sleeping form. He leaned down just enough to place a soft kiss on her hair again, and then walked towards the bedroom door.

He looked to both sides of the hall before stepping out of the bedroom. It was very early and it was Sunday, so there was no reason to think that someone would be awake. He walked swiftly towards his room, expecting to find Allen and Dilandau already there.

His heart stopped when he only heard Allen's loud snoring.

His friends was completely alone in the room.

Van swiftly moved towards the closet and grabbed some of Vanessa's clothes. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and put them on, tossing a shoe towards Allen in the process.

The blonde man shot up on the bed, rubbing his eyes. He blinked several times before turning to the side to look at Van, who was now completely dressed as his alter-ego. He looked around the room, and frowned when he couldn't find Dilandau.

"Where's Dil?" – Van asked, in a whisper.

"You're asking _me_?" – Allen asked, shaking his head – "He was supposed to be with you!"

"I had a problem last night" – Van said, turning around to avoid Allen's inquisitive look – "I had to leave early, but I stayed long enough to see Dryden take the syrup. Dil was supposed to get the recording after that".

"Then why isn't he here yet? Did he stay for the party? Have you called him?" – Allen was shooting questions back and forth, but then, he realized that Van…_had_ _just_ walked in into the room – "If you weren't with Dil... Then, where were you last night?"

Van opened his mouth to answer, when suddenly, the door burst open. There, under the frame, was Dilandau, wearing the same clothes from the previous night. His wig was all messed up, his makeup was runny and he had a furious expression on his face. He took a step forward and shut the door with a loud bang.

"Where are you coming from?" – Allen asked, looking up and down Dilandau's body.

"Are you okay?" – Van asked, when Dilandau took another step towards them and clenched his teeth – "What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" – Dilandau said, shaking his head with a smirk – "Are you talking about the party?"

"Dil, you look seriously-" – Allen shut his mouth quickly when Dilandau took something from her jacket pocket and raised it in front of Van's face.

Van and Allen let out a sigh of relief at the same time, after realizing that he had gotten back the flash drive with the recording in it. However, when Van moved closer to grab it, Dilandau took a step back and put it back on his pocket. Allen frowned when the silver haired man clenched his teeth again and grabbed Van by his shirt.

"Where were you last night?!" – he exclaimed, with a crazed expression – "Where were you when Dryden _drugged _me and took me to his room?! Where THE FUCK were you when he did this?!" – Van widened his eyes when Dilandau turned around and pointed at the bottom of his skirt, showing them the white stain on the fabric. Allen gagged loudly and looked away, completely disgusted. Dilandau turned around again and grabbed Van by the back of his head – "What happened to the _wingman_, huh?!" – Dilandau let out a growl and tightened his grip on Van's hair – "You were with _her_, weren't you?!"

"What does it matter?" – Van asked, letting go of Dilandau's tighten grip – "You have the recording, now we can go back-"

"You left me hanging in the wind…" – Dilandau whispered, tightening his jaw – "TO BE WITH A _DOG_!_"_

Allen quickly got up from the bed when Van grabbed Dilandau by the jacket and pushed him towards the closet. He swiftly took Van by the shoulders and pushed him back, while Dilandau tried to grab him by his shirt again.

"How dare you?! If you're looking for someone to blame, then take a look in the mirror, Dilandau! You're the only reason we got into this mess in the first place!" – Van yelled, not caring anymore if someone could overhear them.

"YOU LEFT ME THERE, TO BE WITH A DOG!" – Dilandau yelled back, trying to grab Van's body, that was tightly held by Allen's arms – "A DOG, DOG, _DOG GIRL!"_

"You're calling _her _a dog?!" – Van asked, snorting – "Have you looked at yourself lately?! You are a joke, you are the dog girl! YOU'RE NOT EVEN HALF THE WOMAN SHE IS!"

Dilandau widened his eyes and pointed at him with an accusatory finger.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" – he yelled, clenching his teeth. It was almost ridiculous how offended he had felt by Van's last statement.

"NO!"

"TAKE IT BACK!"

"NO!"

Allen finally let go of Van, pushing him to the other side of the room. Van stumbled a little bit, but regained balance quickly. Then, he adjusted his wig and straightened his outfit, proudly. Dilandau walked towards him, but Allen quickly put himself behind him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Stop it, you two!" – Allen exclaimed nervously – "We can't be fighting right now! We're friends, we don't-"

"Friends?!" – Dilandau asked, laughing ironically – "Well, you tell this bitch – he pointed at Van again – "That a friend would've had my back last night!"

Van snorted a laugh and shook his head. He grabbed the doorknob and he was about to walk away, when suddenly he turned around to face Dilandau and added something he would later regret immensely:

"Looks like Dryden got there first".

Allen watched with horror when Dilandau let out a shriek and launched himself towards Van. He was already on the hall and fell quickly to the floor when Dilandau landed on his back. Van shouted loudly when Dilandau, literally, bit his leg furiously. He quickly kicked Dilandau on the shoulder and got up from the floor. Dilandau swiftly recovered from the hit and grabbed Van running form by the shoulders. He spun him around and closed his hands around his throat.

"YOU AND YOUR NEW GIRLFRIEND COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!" – he yelled, with his woman voice, while he tightened the grip around Van's neck – "I WAITED ALL NIGHT FOR YOU!"

Neither of them noticed that all the girls from the Sorority had gotten out of their rooms, surely attracted by the tremendous scandal that was taking place on the second floor. Allen had quickly put on a dress and tried to approach them when suddenly, Van hit Dilandau in the stomach with his knee. Then, he punched him on the chest, successfully making him stumble back.

But Dilandau wasn't done at all.

Van barely had time to dodge the lamp that Dilandu grabbed from the small table that was on the hall and threw him at his head. He let out a laugh, while he adjusted his wig again.

"YOU THROW LIKE A BITCH!" – he exclaimed.

Letting out another shriek, Dilandau quite literally hurled his body towards Van's, making both of them fall down the stairs. Allen gasped loudly when he saw his two friends on the bottom of the stairs, their bodies entangled. Horror took over him when Hitomi, Millerna and Yukari, who had just came out of their respective rooms, rushed downstairs to make sure they were alright.

Dilandau let out a growl, and tried to get up from the floor. On the other hand, Van was on top of him, trying to do the same, but his head was spinning without control.

"What in the world is happening here?!" – Hitomi exclaimed, swiftly stopping next to the girls' bodies on the floor.

"Stop fighting, girls!" – Yukari said, nervously – "What's wrong with you!"

Allen rushed downstairs when he realized that both of them were standing up slowly from the floor. However, a rush of panic took over him when he noticed that both of their wigs were on the floor. Also, during the fight, they had ripped each other's shirts, exposing their bare chests.

The three girls gasped and quickly covered their mouths with their hands, at the same time.

Van and Dilandau, still dizzy and in pain, looked at each other for a brief moment. Then, with horror, they widened their eyes once they realized they no longer had their wigs on them and that their shirts were torn to shreds.

Dilandau swiftly turned to the side, and saw the bewildered and shocked expression on Yukari's face. Hitomi, on the other hand, was covering her mouth with one of her hands, while the other was on Millerna's shoulder, desperately trying not to lose balance. Van's heart sank to his stomach when he tried to take a step forward to Hitomi's body, but she swiftly moved away from him.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" – Millerna yelled, her eyes on Allen, who had just came down the stairs with a petrified expression on his face – "YOU…YOU…OH, MY GOD, YOU'RE NOT WOMEN!"

"If you let me explain-" – Allen began, but then, he shut his mouth completely when Millerna quickly took a few steps towards him and grabbed his dress. She lifted the fabric of Allen's dress and let out a shriek.

"AND NEITHER YOU ARE!" – Millerna said, taking a few steps back to her original position next to Hitomi.

"You're not…_Delilah?_!" – Yukari asked Dilandau, finally raising her voice a little bit – "And you…" – she looked at Van, who was rubbing his forehead shamefully – "YOU'RE VAN FANEL! NOT VANESSA FORD!"

"Yu, please calm down" – Dilandau flinched a little when Yukari looked at him with tears inside her eyes. He realized that this was the first time she had ever heard his true voice.

"DON'T YOU TELL HER TO CALM DOWN, YOU BASTARD!" – Hitomi screamed. Even when she was talking to Dilandau, her tearful eyes were fixed on Van's face – "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?! WE TOOK YOU IN, WE WELCOMED YOU INTO OUR HOUSE AND...!" – Van's chest tightened when Hitomi covered her face with her hands and let out a painful sob. Then, she quickly lifted her face and covered her mouth again with one of her hands, while with the other, she pointed at Dilandau – "OH, MY GOD I TOOK A SHOWER WITH YOU! _YOU SAW ME NAKED_!"

"And I'm so terribly sorry about that" – Dilandau said, swallowing hard – "I told Van that it was just-"

"AND YOU!" – Hitomi had finally turned around to look straight at Van. She took a step forward, clenching her teeth tightly – "YOU…YOU _LIED_ TO ME! ALL OF THIS TIME, YOU WERE JUST PRETENDING TO BE-"

"I wasn't pretending" – Van cut in, desperately – "Everything I said to you it's true, Hitomi, I…last night, I _swear_ that I-"

"OH, MY GOD, LAST _NIGHT_!" – she screamed, burying her face in her hands again – "I CAN'T BELIEVE I SLEPT WITH YOU!"

Dilandau and Allen looked at each other, utterly surprised. Imperceptibly, Allen raised his thumb up at Dilandau, who just rolled his eyes.

"Hitomi, please-"

"GET OUT!" – Hitomi screamed, walking towards the stairs to go back up her room – "GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!"

Van closed his eyes when he heard the distinctive sound of her door slamming shut.

Dilandau tried to walk towards Yukari, but she quickly moved away from him. She let out another sob, and the sound made him stop swiftly.

"Please, Yu…it's me" – Dilandau began, but then, her strained voice felt like a painful blow to his chest.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" – she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks – "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"

Yukari sobbed again when Millerna quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to her chest. She shot a furious look towards the three young men, and softly said:

"You need to leave, now. And never come back".

TBC…


	8. Check yes, Juliet

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vision of Escaflowne or any of its characters. Nor I own any of the songs quoted in this story, or the plot from the movie 'Sorority Boys'. Hope you like it**

**English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry. Be gentle, please. **

** Sorority Boys **

**Chapter Eight: Check yes, Juliet**

When Dryden woke up that morning, he immediately realized he was completely alone in the room. He looked over his shoulder, letting out a sigh once he noticed that the Delilah was gone. He tried to remember the previous night's events, but apparently, last night seemed to be a blur in his mind. He shook his head, confused, while he desperately tried to put together everything that had happened in the last few hours. He had followed her upstairs, he had locked the door behind him and…that was it. Everything else from that point on was a complete blur.

He felt a pinch in his stomach when his eyes focused on his desk, noticing that its first drawer was wide open. He quickly got up from the bed, stumbling his way towards the wooden desk.

"Shit!"

Completely terrified, he rushed out of the room, leaving the door completely open. His feet guided him towards the stairwell, noticing at the same time that the entire house seemed to be completely silent.

He rushed downstairs, and once he got to the first floor, his heart stopped abruptly.

There, sitting on the couch, were Gatti and Gaddeth. Both of them had their heads between their hands, hanging low in a shameful gesture. Around them were all of the Frat brothers, looking at him with furious expressions on their faces. He was about to ask them what the hell was happening, when suddenly, he noticed three figures walking slowly towards him.

Dryden clenched his teeth painfully when his eyes met Van's.

"Good morning, sunshine" – Van greeted, smiling widely. Dryden immediately felt the urge to punch him on the nose, but suddenly, his heart stopped again. Van, slowly and carefully, lifted his hand and showed him what he was holding between his fingers. Dryden widened his eyes and his jaw dropped with horror – "Do you recognize this flash drive?"

Dryden opened his mouth to answer, but then, he felt a fist connecting to the side of his face. He fell on the stairs and landed on his back. He barely had time to lift his head, when another punch sent him to unconsciousness.

Dilandau clenched his teeth when he saw Dryden's unmoving body on the floor.

"Told you I'd beat your ass, you piece of shit"

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Hitomi let out a sigh and dropped her cell phone on the floor, while she was comfortably lying on her bed.

How many times had he texted her during the last two weeks? How many times had he called her? A hundred times, maybe? She'd lost count several days ago.

She rolled on top of the bed, and covered her face with a pillow.

What a jerk, she thought.

However, she wasn't sure if she was referring to him or herself.

It had been two weeks since "the incident", and yet, Hitomi had found herself completely unable to get over it. She was furious at Van and his two friends, but mostly, she was furious at herself. How could she so stupid and blind? Why hadn't she noticed that Vanessa was, in fact, her supposedly '_boyfriend'_ Van? Oh, God, and to think that she had trusted him…

But that wasn't just it. She had thought extensively about their awkward and yet natural relationship…she had wondered several times about why she had slept with him. She had always been quite shy and conservative when it came to the intimacy issue with her previous boyfriends. And yet, with Van, it had been kind of a no brainer. She had done it because it had felt so right. She had done it because she trusted him, desperately wanted him…

She shut her eyes tightly when she heard her phone buzzing again. She didn't even make the effort to pick it up to read yet another text from him.

A lonely tear rolled down her cheek when, once again, she wondered why she had done it with him, why she had tore down the barrier that had always stopped her from being intimate with a man.

She had done it because she secretly loved him too.

But he had lied to her.

He had torn her trust to pieces for some selfish and idiotic reason, when in fact all he needed to do in that situation was to be honest with her. He should've trusted her, but instead, he'd decided to keep her in the dark about everything.

And it didn't matter how many times he called her, texted her or dropped by the Sorority house announced…she just couldn't bring herself to forgive him.

Hitomi looked to the side, towards her desk. She frowned slightly when she saw that thick folder on top of it, which she hadn't been able yet to go through. Slowly, Hitomi rose from the bed and walked towards the desk. With trembling fingers, she opened the folder and glanced briefly at the different sets of pages that were inside of it.

She didn't want to see him or even listening to him, but…

She wanted to read what he had written.

Slowly, she lifted the first set of pages, while she pulled back the chair of her desk. Hitomi let out a sigh and started to read the first story.

* * *

"Sure thing the brothers won't be very happy with this new set of house rules" – Allen said, sitting down on the couch that was in the middle of the living room. He lifted the page he was currently reading and let out a sigh.

Dilandau huffed and looked at him from the corner of his eye, also sitting on the couch. Van, as always, was pacing back and forth, his gaze fixed on the screen of his cell phone.

"Couldn't care less if they don't like the new rules" – Dilandau said, with a growl – "If they don't like the new changes, they can leave"

Allen dropped the piece of paper on his lap and looked at Dilandau. He was frowning and his lips were tightly shut, in a thin line.

When they showed the recording to the brothers, only the part that showed Dryden, Gatti and Gaddeth sneaking into Dilandau's room and stealing the money, the decision of kicking the three of them out of the Fraternity had been unanimous. Actually, many of the brothers proposed to give the recording to the University's authorities, but in that moment, Dilandau, Van and Allen decided that kicking them out was enough punishment. After all, they had gotten what they wanted…

…Or had they?

Of course not.

Everything was a complete mess.

Over the last two weeks, the three young men had desperately tried to reach out to the Sorority girls, in order to apologize and explain why they'd done what they had done. However, no matter how hard they tried, all of them had shut them out completely. They hadn't returned any of their calls, texts or emails. Also, they hadn't even opened the door when they had showed up unannounced.

Allen looked at Dilandau, and then at Van. He couldn't really say which one of them seemed more desperate and depressed. Van had tried to talk to Hitomi every day since that disastrous morning, but she hadn't paid him any attention. She had even changed her class' schedule just to avoid being in the same room with him. On the other hand, Dilandau had, quite literally, stalked Yukari over the past weeks. But, much like Van, he had been completely unsuccessful.

He thought about his own situation. Unlike Van and Dilandau, he had remained calmed throughout the past two weeks. Sure thing he missed the girls, because he had actually enjoyed the days he'd spent with them. Mostly, he missed Millerna and her companionship. However, something inside of him was telling him that things would work themselves out somehow. He knew that they needed to do something bold to earn the girls' forgiveness, but he didn't know what they could do if the girls weren't even willing to answer any of their calls.

"Did you send the email to the brothers?"

Dilandau's question made Allen snap out of his thoughts. He had indeed sent the email to the brothers, with the list of the new house rules: After the incident, Van had decided that they needed to make some changes in the Fraternity: As a result, they had sent a mass email with a new set of rules.

From that day on, traditions such as "The Walk of Shame" were completely forbidden. Also, if any of the brothers called a girl "dog girl" just once, they would be instantly expelled from the Fraternity. And actions such as filming or taking pictures of girls in parties or similar events would also cause the expulsion of the brother responsible for it.

"I did" – Allen said, nodding – "They haven't answered though"

In that moment, the three of them flinched when the doorbell rang loudly.

Immediately, Van rushed to the door and opened it, letting out a frustrated sigh when he realized that it just was a guy from the post office. However, he raised an eyebrow when the young man handed him a box, addressed to Dilandau.

"Did you order something?" – Van asked Dilandau, after shutting the door.

Dilandau lazily looked at the box, and then, Allen noticed a shadow of resignation crossing his features.

"Throw it in the trash bin" – Dilandau said, getting up slowly from the couch.

"What is it?" – Allen asked, getting up as well. When Van came closer to him, he snatched the box from him and opened it. Van shot him a disapproving look, but his curiosity got the best of him nonetheless. He peeked over Allen's shoulder and blinked several times when his blond friend took out a small velvet box. Allen noticed that Dilandau was intentionally avoiding them, so he opened it without making a sound. Van frowned when he didn't recognize the strange shape of the pendant Allen was holding between his fingers: It was like a platinum triangle with a circle in the middle, crossed by a piece of shining metal that resembled a blade. Also, the platinum structure of the pendant was covered with small diamonds, which only added shining and beauty to it – "Dil, what-"

"It's a _Deathly Hallows _necklace" – Dilandau cut in, with a growl.

"A what now?" – Van asked, confused.

"I got it for Yukari's birthday" – the silver haired man explained – "She's a huge Harry Potter fan"

"Dil, man…I'm-" – Allen's words got caught in his throat when Dilandau swiftly turned around and pointed at him with his finger.

"Throw it away" – he said, clenching his teeth – "Now"

"Her birthday's tomorrow, right?" – Van asked, while Allen put the necklace back in the velvet box. Dilandau let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead slowly – "How about we go over-"

"She won't even look at me, and now you want me to go over there and ruin her birthday?" – Dilandau said, letting out an emotionless laugh – "Forget it, Van. I'm not doing anything. Throw the damn thing in the trash, please"

"Are these real diamonds?" – Allen asked, looking closely at the opened box. Van rolled his eyes and elbowed him slightly.

"Shut up" – Dilandau answered, before turning around and walking towards the stairs.

Van felt a rush of compassion running through his body when he looked at Dilandau's figure going away. He looked down at his cell phone again, realizing that, once again, she had read his message but hadn't responded to it. He rubbed his forehead again, feeling completely hopeless.

The last few weeks had been a complete nightmare. After the day when everything had fallen apart, he had been desperately trying to reach out to Hitomi, who not only had avoided him in every possible way, but also, had apparently decided that everything was over between them. After that beautiful night, that still kept him awake until sunrise every night, everything had crumbled down completely. And it didn't matter how hard he tried, she still didn't want to even be in the same room with him.

However, he knew that he had no one else to blame but himself. Yes, sure, they had got into this mess to help and protect Dilandau, but he had lied to her nonetheless. She had trusted him, and he had broken that trust. He remembered that time, when they had been alone in the library, and he had found her crying because of Amano. Back then, he had told her she deserved better. He had hoped that that someone better would be him one day. But when he had the chance to prove himself worthy of her…he had screwed it up.

He glanced down at his cell phone once again, but suddenly, Allen snatched it away from him.

"What are you doing?!" – Van asked, trying to take his phone back.

"That's it!" – Allen said, tossing the phone on the couch – "You two need to stop this pity-party already! Get off your asses and let's do something about this, because if I have to keep looking at your depressed faces, I'm gonna shoot myself!"

"What-"

Van shut his mouth when Allen looked at his with a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"I have a plan"

* * *

Millerna let out a frustrated sigh when she walked out the chess' club room and, standing on the hallway, she saw him there, surely waiting for her. She lifted her chin proudly, ready to walk by him and ignore him, when suddenly, he moved to the side, effectively blocking her way. She tried to move to the other side, but once again, he was faster. He snorted a laugh when she, quite literally, tried to push him away from her path, but given how tall he was, she couldn't even get to move him a single step backwards.

"Could you please move away, Allen?" – she asked, clenching her teeth furiously.

"Not until you listen to me" – he answered, smiling widely down at her.

"What could you possibly say to make it any better?" – Millerna lifted her head to look straight at him – "You guys lied to us, took advantage of our good nature and made us look like fools! Yukari hasn't stopped crying since she found out that _Delilah_ wasn't her friend, but just another Frat jerk that wanted to hurt her! And Hitomi has been locked inside her room for the last two weeks! And it's your damn fault!" – Millerna wanted to keep yelling, especially since Allen didn't seem in the least concerned by her words. A few instants later, he said:

"Are you done?" – he asked, raising his eyebrows – "Because if you are, I have a proposition for you"

"Forget it" – she cut in, angrily – "I'm not interested in whatever you have to say"

Millerna proudly lifted her chin and started to walk away. However, Allen's voice made her stop abruptly.

"We never meant to hurt any of you"

The blonde girl turned around swiftly and when she placed her eyes on Allen's face, she gasped under her breath.

She had always praised herself for her ability to figure out when someone was lying. It was some kind of sixth sense that had always helped her when she had needed it. And in that moment, something inside of her was telling her that Allen was being sincere.

"And yet you did" – Millerna said, her anger subsiding rapidly.

"And we're incredibly sorry for it" – Allen explained, calmly – "You say that Yukari and Hitomi are suffering because of what we did. But you haven't let us explain to you why we did what we did. Dilandau and Van are heartbroken because of what happened, and-"

"And you?" – Millerna asked, narrowing her eyes - "You're only talking about Van and Dilandau, but what about you? Are you not sorry?"

"I'm sorry for lying and hurting you. But I'm not sorry for having dressed up as a woman and being in the Sorority with you guys" – Millerna widened her eyes, completely surprised – "Last week was the best time I've ever had. You…and the girls…are the best thing that could've ever happened to me. So, no…I'm not sorry."

A few moments later, Millerna let out a frustrated sigh. She looked at Allen once more, while she shook her head slowly.

"You're a jerk" – she said, finally – "The sweetest jerk ever"

"I know" – Allen smiled widely. He walked a few steps towards Millerna and touched the tip of her nose, playfully. However, Millerna noticed the way his eyes shone with honesty for a brief moment – "I'm really sorry for hurting you, Milly."

"Yeah, I know…" – Millerna huffed, feeling nothing but tenderness towards his friend – "But that doesn't mean that we're okay with what you guys did. I'm not that upset with you anymore, but Yukari and Hitomi _really_ are furious at you three. Especially Tomi…Allen" – Millerna lifted her head and frowned, with a sad expression on her face – "I don't think she'll ever forgive Van for what he did. She's had terrible boyfriends before, but Van certainly was the worst of all of them. She won't even admit out loud how deep in love she's with Van, and that's how I know he messed up terribly."

"And he does know he messed up, Milly" – Allen said with a sigh – "That's why I came here today. I need your help"

"What for?"

"You may not believe this, but those two really are sorry for what we did. Dilandau's more depressed than ever before, and Van's gonna totally lose his eyesight for staring at his damn phone all day, waiting for Hitomi's answer to any of his calls or texts"

"But-

Millerna widened her eyes and took a step back when Allen leaned forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. He had a determinate look on his deep blue eyes.

"Yukari's birthday it's on Saturday, right? Are you guys gonna do something for her?"

"Well, we've been trying to convince her to go to the karaoke bar uptown tomorrow night, but-"

She blinked several times when she saw the lopsided smile that took over Allen's features.

"Karaoke sounds great"

* * *

Yukari sat down on the table that was in the middle of the karaoke bar, with a hint of a smile on her lips. She had tried over the last few days to put up a good attitude, for the sake of her friends. All the girls at the Sorority had been trying to cheer her up after the "Delilah, Allison and Vanessa" mess. However, no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't forget everything that had happened.

How could they do something like that? How _Delilah_…oh, no, scratch that.

She wasn't _Delilah_.

_Delilah _was just a sham.

_Delilah_ was a…guy. A guy named "Dilandau Albatou", who had deliberately lied to her and pretended to be her friend. In the end, he had turned out to be just another Frat boy that toyed with her feelings for his own personal gain. And to think that she'd truly trusted him, with her most intimate secrets. She had spent valuable time with him, sharing things with him that not even her best friends knew about her. She had even questioned herself, because of the attraction she felt towards him, when he was disguised as a woman.

Over the last few weeks, she had no explanation for how disappointed and heartbroken she felt. It was as if someone had ripped her heart out of her chest. And even when she was too proud to admit it, she truly missed him.

Because what she had felt when she was with _Delilah _was real.

"Yukari, do you want anything to drink?" – Millerna asked, smiling widely – "We can order an especial birthday drink for you, if you want!"

Yukari sighed and lowered her head imperceptibly.

She chuckled without joy when she heard Millerna's last sentence. She suddenly remembered one of her lasts conversations with Delilah: It had been late at night, when everybody else at the Sorority house was sound asleep. They had talked for hours, like usual, and one of the many topics had been her upcoming birthday. She had told Delilah that she wasn't much of a drinker, but she had always wanted to try drinking tequila, in a Mexican style. That night, both of them had agreed that on Yukari's birthday, they would stay up until sunrise, drinking tequila right from the bottle, with lemon and salt.

Yukari slightly shook her head towards Millerna, who pouted a little bit at her lack of enthusiasm.

What a jerk, Yukari thought. He glanced down at her watch, although she knew that it was still pretty early. She just wanted to go home, but she knew that it would be rude if she just got up and left. After all, her two friends, Millerna and Hitomi, had planned this night for her, even when neither of them was really in the mood to celebrate anything.

She turned to the right and looked at Hitomi, who was as usual, staring at her phone. She sighed when her friend shook her head and bit her lower lip, pocketing her phone back in her jacket. They exchanged a look and shrugged at the same time. Yukari hadn't really said anything to Hitomi about it, but she felt really sorry for her: She knew that her friend was suffering deeply. Vanessa hadn't been just the alter ego of some guy she didn't know…she had been Van's cover up. And even when she knew Hitomi was too proud to admit it, Yukari knew that she felt more for him than she'd let people know. She had known it when she had found out that they had slept together: Hitomi had always been quite shy and reserved when it came to the "intimacy issue" with the men she had dated. And now, knowing that only after a few days with Van, she had been willing to _be_ with a man, it could only mean that she had true feelings for him.

Yukari sighed again and looked at her watch once more. Damn it, it was only eleven. She had to be there for at least another hour. However, she just didn't want to. She got up from her chair, ready to excuse herself in order to go to the bathroom and lock herself up in one of the cabins. She'd wait for a few minutes and then come back, saying she was feeling sick. That way, she'd be able to go home without raising too many questions.

She glanced briefly towards the stage, noticing that several people started to gather up on it, preparing some musical instruments and microphones. She took it as an opportunity, since all of her friends started to look at it. So, she started walking towards the bathroom. However, just a moment later, everything around her went dark. She heard the distinctive gasps and exclamations of surprise of everyone inside the karaoke bar. Yukari looked around, but she couldn't see a single thing.

And then, a voice from the stage caught her attention.

"Good evening, everyone" – she recognized the voice as the bar's owner.

They had met a few times, since he was Millerna's childhood friend. She thought for a moment that maybe there was some kind of electrical problem, but the next phrase made her flinch wildly:

"I believe it's someone's birthday tonight…"

* * *

"Fuck you, Allen. I'm not doing this"

Allen smiled widely when Dilandau buried his face between his hands with a growl. Next to him was Van, who was clearly having troubles hiding the amused smile that had taken over his features. The three of them were hidden behind the curtains of the karaoke bar's stage, waiting for the lights to go off.

"You're totally got this, Dil!" – Allen exclaimed, giving him a comforting pat on the back – "You were in a rock band back in high school, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was ages ago!" – Dilandau hissed through his clenched teeth – "You can't seriously expect that-"

"Dilandau, this is your chance" – Van said, suddenly serious – "And besides, the lights will be completely off, she won't see you".

"But she'll know it is me!" – Dilandau exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

"And that's exactly what we need" – Allen completed, with a wide smile on his face – "You said it yourself: Yukari's a romantic girl. And the only way to get her to talk to you, it's a grand gesture, like this one."

"Forget it, I'm not do-"

Suddenly, the lights went off and the owner of the bar started speaking through the microphone. Allen took the opportunity and, along with Van, together they pushed Dilandau through the curtain.

Dilandau stumbled a little and almost fell on his face. He tried to turn around and walk away, but Mike, the owner of the karaoke bar, quickly grabbed him by the shoulders. He literally dragged him towards the center of the stage and adjusted the microphone to his height.

"And without further ado…" – Mike said, chuckling a bit – "The mic's yours, man".

Shit.

The band started to play the accords of the song, in an acoustic version of it.

Shit.

It was almost his cue, but he was too frozen to even open his mouth.

Shit.

Through the darkness of the room, he recognized a familiar red hair.

Holly shit.

* * *

Allen let out a sigh of relief when he heard Dilandau's voice, filling completely the space of the karaoke bar. They had instructed the band to modify the original version of the song, and as a result, they were now hearing a melodic and soft ballade.

_Check yes, Juliet_

_Are you with me?_

_Rain is falling down on the sidewalk_

_I won't go, until you come outside. _

"I had forgotten what a great singer Dilandau is" – Van said, smiling widely. They were still hidden behind the curtain on the back of the stage, although there was no need, since everything was completely dark. Earlier that day, they had sort of convinced Dilandau that he had to be there for Yukari's birthday, and that he needed to do something bold to get her to forgive him. They hadn't told him what their plan was until they got to the karaoke bar.

"Yeah, he's got an incredible voice" – Allen shouted, trying to make his voice higher than the loud roars and clapping from the crowd. He wasn't surprised by the people's reaction, considering that, in fact, Dilandau was totally killing it.

_Check yes, Juliet_

_Kill the limbo_

_I'll keep tossing rocks at your window_

_There's no turning back for us tonight. _

"When do we have to go over to Yukari and gave her the present?" – Van asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Right after the song's bridge" – Allen answered – "Millerna's going to text me" – He glanced briefly towards his friend, and before Van could ask him, he added – "Hitomi's here too".

Van swallowed hard and tried to keep listening to the song. However, his mind trailed off for the hundredth time that day. He knew perfectly well that Hitomi didn't want to see him, but at least he had to try. He had to let her know that he was sorry. Even if she didn't want go back with him, even if she had decided that giving him another chance was out of the question…he had to tell her that he never meant to hurt her.

_Run, baby, run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart_

_If you give them the chance _

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say we're not meant to be_

_Run, baby, run_

_Forever will be_

_You and me_

* * *

Yukari was covering her mouth with her hands, completely frozen.

God, he had such a beautiful voice.

Because, of course, she knew it was him.

It had to be him.

_We're flying through the night_

_We're flying through the night_

_Way up high_

_The view from here is getting better with_

_You by my side._

She didn't notice when Millerna stopped next to her, holding her cell phone between her hands. The blonde girl smiled widely when she glanced at the two young men standing behind the curtain.

_Run, baby, run_

_Don't ever look back_

_They'll tear us apart _

_If you give them the chance_

_Don't sell your heart_

_Don't say we're not meant to be_

_Run, baby, run_

_Forever will be_

_You and me_.

* * *

Van and Allen rushed behind the stage and walked their way towards where Millerna was holding her phone up, shaking it softly, letting them know where she was.

Van walked slowly towards Yukari and gently took her hand. He noticed the way the girl flinched and let out a soft exclamation of surprise. In the dark, he put the velvet box in her hand. When he sensed she had grasped it between her fingers, he slowly took a few steps back. He immediately stopped when his back bumped into someone else's body, making him stumble a little bit. He turned around quickly and grabbed the person's body by the shoulders, but then, a violent shiver took over his body when he realized that he recognized those arms. He had held them a few weeks ago, tightly against his chest. He held his breath when a familiar perfume reached his nose.

He wanted to pull away, but every single cell of his body was screaming him not to. He gulped loudly, while he still held her body between his hands.

Dilandau was still singing, and yet, Van felt like there was nothing around him. He was completely careless about any other thing besides the woman he was tightly holding by the shoulders. He held back a gasp when he felt a soft hand on his chest. Afraid of being pushed away by that hand, he tightened the grip on her shoulders. But then, a rush of relief took over him when he just felt her fingers clutching softly onto the fabric of his black shirt.

The spell he was in was momentarily broken when the song ended and the entire crowd started screaming and clapping loudly. The lights were still off when Dilandau took a step forward and said, breathing heavily:

"Happy birthday, Yu".

TBC…

**I know, this chapter was mostly about Dilandau and Yukari, but I promise the next one will be about our favorite couple!**

**Thank you all for reading! **

**Especially you. **

**Yeah, you.**


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